In the lands of the Waldensians in the West of Piemonte, the relationship between man and mountain and its "heroic" vineyards tells another reality, away from the usual paths, of Piemonte. Different from other more commonly known territories and similar only to itself. We are in the heart of the Turin Alps, the so-called border valleys: Pellice, Chisone, Germanasca. History leads us to define them as "lands of the Waldensians" because here the story of Waldensianism developed, a confession born in the 12th century, which originated as a poverty movement for Christian preaching and was immediately banned by the Catholic Church, which excommunicated it after the Council of Verona in 1184.
"We are in the heart of the Torino Alps, in the so-called border valleys: Pellice, Chisone, Germanasca."
Amidst rugged and difficult-to-access mountains, it was precisely in these areas that the Waldensians found refuge to resist, over the centuries, the often violent oppressions to which they were subjected. After centuries of solitary resistance to Catholic persecution, in 1532 the Waldensians largely joined the Protestant Reformation.
This gave rise to a civilization different from the rest of the region, deeply connected to its own territory, to the point of being able to imagine an almost physical bond of “blood relationship” with these mountains. Even the language is different from Piedmontese: ël patouà, a dialect derived from Franco-Provençal.
In these mountains, particularly those of the lower Germanasca Valley, a wine is produced that, like everything else here, can only be different in history, in grape varieties, and in taste. What stands out is its uniqueness, starting with the heroic vineyards in Pomaretto from which the Ramìe is obtained. Allow me to use the term "heroic" to define this type of viticulture. In this territory, there are no true heroes, but authentic farmers, the tough, tenacious, hard, inflexible mountain people. Genius, for their great ability to adapt to the territory where man and mountain merge into a single body in respect of the environment.
"Avanà, Barbera, Avarengo, Chatus or Cerla 'd cow"
The wine here has been produced since the Middle Ages: manuscripts indicate that around 1326 the harvest was regulated by an official act, from which we can learn today that the beginning of the transformation of grapes into wine could only take place from September 6 to October 8. A tradition that has been passed down for centuries, despite all the climatic difficulties and wars that have occurred.
The very meaning of the name given to the wine, Ramìe, derives from the agricultural operations that were necessary to make space for the vine. The ramìe, in the language of these valleys, the patois, are the bundles of cut branches gathered into piles by farmers during the reclamation works needed to create the terraces. The grape varieties used for this DOC have adapted for centuries to the difficult pedoclimatic conditions of the mountains of this western frontier: particularly Avanà, Barbera, Avarengo, Chatus or Cerla 'd crava (in the native language goat dung while in France it is more elegantly known as Persan).
One of the protagonists of these places is Daniele Coutandin, a pioneer of Ramìe in recent decades.
The vineyards of our Daniele Coutandin are located at an altitude between 650 and 800 m above sea level, with slopes ranging from 40% in the vineyards of Perosa Argentina to 90% in some areas of the vineyards of Pomaretto, where the Province of Turin subsequently built a monorail to facilitate the cultivation of these grape varieties.
"The vineyards are small patches of land scattered on the slopes of the mountain"
The vineyards are small patches of land scattered on the slopes of the mountain, nestled among the woods; thanks to this, they enjoy remarkable biodiversity that promotes the presence of many beneficial insects for cultivating healthy and long-lived vines. The characteristics of the soil are different even though they share the same soil acidity: in Pomaretto, the soil is siliceous and very rocky and consists of small terraces, while in Perosa Argentina it is a moraine tongue with pronounced acidity.
The crops are designed with the utmost respect for the plants, the soil, and all forms of life; the cover cropping, with periodic mowing, is essential to prevent soil erosion and brings with it abundant blooms of violets, dandelions, and thyme. Most of the plants are trained as bushes, with 3 or 4 shoots of 2 buds each; only varieties with low or no basal fertility are cultivated in the Guyot system.
Among the organoleptic characteristics, there are prominent features such as a fairly deep ruby red color, intense aromas of ripe fruit, licorice, and spices; it is enveloping and persistent on the palate.
"the Ramìe pairs well with all the dishes of the typically Waldensian local cuisine"
Respecting the local culinary pairings, Ramìe goes well with all dishes of the typically Valdese local cuisine, for example, calhiettes (grated potato meatballs flavored with bacon and sautéed vegetables, served with mountain toma cheese or melted butter), the ancient mustardela (a medieval pedigree sausage made from scraps and blood of pork, spreadable on barbarian bread or accompanied by polenta), or a braised lamb with mountain herbs.
Enjoy Ramìe everyone!