Baldessari: the gentle ethos and the return of the Portuguese

Just outside the centre of Trento, under the watchful and reassuring gaze of Mount Chegul, stands the Cantina Baldessari, at an altitude of just over 500 metres. Michela, the soul of the winery, is moved by a true act of love for nature as a place of memory and respect. Here, among woods, vineyards and wild animals, man does not command: he respects, accompanies and peacefully coexists.

Nature is sovereign, man is present but discreet, careful not to break a fragile and precious balance. The vines coexist harmoniously with toads, deer, foxes and tadpoles. Here, where agriculture is organic by vocation, work in the rows is constant. There is sacrifice, of course, but there is also a deep dedication born of knowledge. Knowing the vineyard and its surroundings is a responsibility. To cultivate here means to protect, to leave intact, to tiptoe.

The Portuguese: saving your memory with a bunch of grapes

Among the varieties cultivated by Baldessari, there is one that stands out for its uniqueness and history: the Portuguese. It is an ancient grape variety, once widespread throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire, now almost forgotten. The winery introduced it in 2018, following the advice of Gianpaolo Girardi, custodian of the only other Protghese plot in the area.

For Michela Baldessari, Portuguese is also a family heirloom: her grandmother used to talk about it when it was still part of the local agricultural landscape. Today, about 500 bottles a year are produced, all distributed by Proposta Vini. It is a simple, lively, straightforward wine, with hints of berries, naturally low in alcohol (around 10°), not very tannic and very drinkable. A red wine that speaks of the land, light but not banal, with an old-fashioned uniqueness.

The grapes are harvested after mid-September, without haste, when the bunches are naturally ripe. Even in the cellar, the approach is the same: minimum intervention, maximum expression of the terroir. Maceration lasts several days, the punching-down is done with an ancient and characteristic wooden stick. The result is a sincere squeeze of fermented grapes: young and fresh.

The 2024 vintage is particularly clean and precise, with a bright cherry red colour and a lively soul, ideal for those seeking authenticity.

At Cantina Baldessari, a vision is cultivated, even before a vine. A vision in which man must be there and not be there at the same time. The balance between man and nature is fragile, and must be respected with listening, measure and responsibility.

Every day Michela embraces this concrete, daily, tiring, but also prodonfly rewarding ethic. Because every bottle that is born here does not just tell of a wine, but a way of living, working and remembering.