If wine were music, attending a FIVI event would be very much like being at a Bruce Springsteen concert. And anyone who had been there even once in their life would immediately get the metaphor. For the less fortunate (yet), I’ll try to explain it.
To start with, a "stage" with few or no special effects. Just authenticity, energy, and giving yourself completely to your audience. To continue, a relationship that feels intimate from the very first notes, pardon, glasses. The people beside you aren’t there because in the morning they boredly asked themselves, "What are we doing tonight?" but because they want to know, discover, and listen. And those speaking do so because what they have to say represents the very essence of their being a winemaker. In short, a relationship that, at a certain point, late in the evening, you realize is exactly like the one between the "boss" and his fans.
No offense to all the other winegrowers, for whom I have deep respect and, in many cases, even friendship. But there is something brilliant, perhaps even a touch of madness—just like Bruce when he changes up his setlists to accommodate requests from the audience—in the eyes and words of those who, by definition, by vocation, and by rule, personally oversee every single stage in the life of their wines, from vineyard management all the way to labeling the bottles. "And sometimes, just like tonight, it’s we ourselves who pour the wine into the glasses."
Gianni Mauriello is a big 41-year-old, 6-foot-1 man who moves and talks, lifts boxes, and sweats through the iconic purple T-shirt just like all his colleagues, even though, since last year, he has been the FIVI delegate for Puglia. Owner of the Casa Primis winery in Stornarella, in the province of Foggia, he welcomes me, together with host Luigi Di Tuccio, at the entrance of Antica Enotria, the winery in Cerignola that hosted the fifth Puglian edition of “Sabato del Vignaiolo” (“Winemaker’s Saturday”), the national event through which the Italian Federation of Independent Winegrowers meets the public of wine enthusiasts to showcase not only their products, but above all their philosophy. The event takes place throughout Italy and is locally organized by the individual regional groups. Such as the one made up of 43 Puglian wineries, which almost always do not exceed 5 hectares in size.
Because being an independent winemaker also requires a certain dose of philosophy, if not outright madness.
And the reader should not make the mistake of thinking that an association like this only welcomes names that might otherwise be overshadowed in the major circuits. From Morella to Gianfranco Fino, to name just a few from Puglia, the list of the “big brothers” (in terms of awards and fame) is decidedly long. And as we know, it is often among the “smaller” ones that the most beautiful gems are discovered. Such as those who have also embraced the Retrogusti project: from Margherita Nistri and her very distinctive story to Roberta De Quarto and her fascinating skin-contact fiano, all the way to Bruno Garofano and his son Gabriele with their Antico Palmento in the heart of Manduria. “In Puglia,” explains Mauriello, “the FIVI culture is not yet as deeply rooted as in other regions, but we are noticing that curiosity is growing and the number of people coming our way is increasing more and more.”
Of course, not everything that glitters is gold—or straw-colored... The current period is seeing a chain of factors that is creating no small headaches for producers. And even a festive occasion like this can be a prompt for realistic reflections. “The moment we are going through is not easy,” Mauriello continues, “a series of factors have all come together and led to a drop in consumption. Attempts have been made to promote dealcoholized wines or wines with low alcohol content. The former haven't taken off, and anyone who has tasted them knows why. As for the latter, I ask myself: is it possible to naturally produce low-alcohol wines in a hot climate like that of Puglia?”.
I tried to look for answers by listening to the voices of other producers. Like that of Fabio Zullo, from Masseria Masciullo (Brindisi). «We FIVI winemakers – he says – are by definition guardians of our territories against climate change: our businesses are all small, so we do not put stress on the land, we keep the landscape diverse, and we protect biodiversity. What is needed is to change the way wine is communicated, in the sense that today there is too much communication, whereas we should try to reach young people, who are leaning toward other tastes but whom alcohol-free products have not won over».
Wandering is not just from one tasting counter to another, but also from one province of Puglia to another. With Francesco Mazzone, we go back to Ruvo, in the Bari area, where Mazzone Winery operates. He offers a sincere and objective analysis. “There are two tracks along which today’s situation is moving. On the one hand, at the national level, there is a lack of unity between small and large producers, in the wine world as well as in the olive oil world. And we know that where there is no unity, a potential overall strength is lost. On the other hand, there is a market distorted by excess supply, which large companies can deal with by lowering prices. This is instead impossible for us small producers, even though recently there has been the good news that FIVI has been included in ministerial roundtables on an equal footing with the major agricultural associations such as CIA and Coldiretti”.
Looking for the good news, the bright side, and hope even when the ground seems to give way beneath your feet is not something everyone can do.
And, just like after the protest moment in a Springsteen concert with “American Skin” or “The Ghost of Tom Joad,” comes the phase of optimism, almost of redemption. «All this, however – Mazzone emphasizes again –, does not prevent us from continuing to carry out our role as guardians of the territory and traditions. Even if we may sometimes face a season that ends with a negative balance sheet, you will never see us give in and close down. Even if we wanted to, we wouldn’t succeed: we are too connected to our lands and our traditions, which very often are the result of ties that stem from the work of our parents and our grandparents».
Words that are a burst of energy, on par with “The Promised Land” or “The Rising.” And yet something is still missing to complete the Apulian story of “Sabato del Vignaiolo.” It is a female voice. It is Marianna Annio’s, who, to stay with musical metaphors, can only be the Patty Smith of Apulian wine. The owner of Pietraventosa (Gioia del Colle) pauses for a moment to reflect. Then she answers in one breath: «Tenacity is our defining trait, especially the ability to change, in a sort of natural evolution that makes us alter our habits. It’s certainly not easy, but we try to keep moving forward with our work; what sets us apart is our unity and flexibility. Sometimes we seem tired, but our spirit is one of innate resilience. We look beyond and grit our teeth. We carry forward a natural story that is neither snack cakes nor soft drinks, but the story of our farming and winemaking traditions».
The lights come back on, and the band greets its audience. It is a feeling all enthusiasts know well: in an ideal musical score that is the agricultural world, wine is the Mozart-like spark that changes everything forever. The novelty is that FIVI, with its authenticity and frankness, at times almost against the current, can only represent its purest rock soul.
