Winter 2005

2005 vintage: promise only partly maintained

A mild and fairly dry spring followed by a dry and unusually hot early summer with big fluctuations in temperatures between day and night in late July helped the process of veraison, the darkening of the color of the grapes, and speeded up ripening. Those were good premises for the harvest, if there had been better weather in September, for they promised elegance and aromatic richness for this year’s vintage. Unfortunately, insistent rainfall weakened optimistic prospects for the harvest. Nonetheless, all the grapes picked initially (Merlot and Colorino) were in good condition, with excellent sugar concentrations. In addition, it is estimated that the amount harvested was up 10% from last year.

Olives

Olive picking is still far off but even now it can be assumed that the crop will be less abundant than last year. The frost in April, while light and harmless for other crops, “burned” buds on the olive trees, keeping fruit from forming. There were also heavy attacks from flies, especially in olive groves near the sea. The house expects a good harvest only from the “Sillano” farm, whose trees, which were not pruned last winter, have more branches bearing fruit.

Stormy September

In the second half of September rainfall was so abundant and violent that it caused flooding and landslips. And Carpineto was not spared. A portion of a new vineyard was submerged by water overflowing from a small stream near the Dudda cellars. The water also poured into the barrique cellar and basement areas where wines were maturing. Fortunately the big entrance door acted as a barrier to the spate, softening inflow and limiting damage.

ISO 9001:2000 and IFS

The demand for quality in work processes, administrative procedures and customer services is continually increasing. Being sensitive to these new needs and guaranteeing product quality and safety under every aspect, from health and hygiene to service, with standards even higher than those imposed by law, are today important factors for Giancarlo Sacchet and Antonio Zaccheo, Carpineto’s owners. To do so the company has adopted a quality system in keeping with the ISO 9001:2000 and IFS standard. In July Carpineto received certification by Norway’s DNV.

Oil

The new oil packages presented at Vinitaly received a unanimous endorsement from customers and everyone visiting the company’s stand. As a result, it has been decided to further enrich them. The idea is to combine all three types in a single corrugated cardboard package and make it more elegant. The bottles can be placed in a satin-finish black metal cruet for refined presentation with great impact.

Awards & recognitions

From the platinum medal at the Port of Wines Festival 2005 in Nova Scotia for Farnito Cabernet Sauvignon to the gold medals for Chianti Classico and Chianti Classico Riserva (at the Concours Mondial 2005 de Bruxelles), there has been a host of prizes for Carpineto’s wines. And its oils, too, are arousing more and more interest on the Italian and above all foreign markets, winning two gold medals at the 2005 Los Angeles County Fair—one for Sillano and the other for Picciolo—as well as a silver medal for delle Simbarde.

More visitors come calling

More and more visitors are coming to Carpineto, so many that more time has to be given to giving them tours. This is a commitment that gratifies the company, which during the tours can perceive the esteem and affection felt by customers and consumers. They come from nearly all corners of the world but mostly from the United States and Canada, along with Europe (Germany and Switzerland in particular). But now there are many visitors from the Middle East and Asia as well.