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Maurizio Zanella
Ca'del Bosco and the making of a legend
Maurizio Zanella is the man who put Ca'del Bosco on the map, a person who saw the early potential of an Italian sparking wine that veered away from the tank methods used famously to make Prosecco and aligned them firmly with the methode champenoise that the world worships in northern France. It was the ability of him, and other producers, to see that the techniques used by their French neighbours could be used here to make wines that are as powerful, subtle, and revered by those who come across them.
I'm lucky that this man has agreed to give me some of his time and explain his vision and what makes him still a leader in the world of Franciacorta wines.
Winefullness: Who are your wines aimed at? Do you market to a particular audience?
Maurizio Zanella: Our wines are aimed at those who seek pleasantness, finesse and elegance, but at the same time fragrance, complexity and taste. This is why our wines are intended for those who are looking for purity and harmony, the true expression of our soils.
Winefullness: You have a wonderfully artistic gate at the beginning of the property. What is the meaning behind this?
Maurizio: The gate was made by Arnaldo Pomodoro, a most famous Italian sculptor. It symbolizes the sun, a key element for ripening grapes. For our visitors, it is the starting point for discovering the estate and the rest of the artworks in our art park.
Winefullness: You’re organic. Are you fully biodynamic?
Maurizio: We've had organic certification on over 260 hectares (643 acres) since 2014. A choice we made because it cares for the health of our soils and thus the whole territory. The choice of organic viticulture has its roots in the late 1980s and then took shape in the early 2000s. For us, it represents the best way to protect the territory for future generations as well.
Winefullness: What was going through the head of a young 17-year-old when he decided to start along the wine road, and what were the reactions of those nearest to you?
Maurizio: Actually making wine wasn't my dream, it became one later when I came to live here in the countryside. I was used to living in a big city like Milan and coming here was a very demanding choice, but it allowed me to discover and love this territory.
A trip to France then completed this part of the work, and returning from this trip, with an idea in mind, I found support in my family; first of all from my mother Annamaria Clementi. My father was then fundamental in starting everything, even if he was not so convinced of my choice.
Winefullness: There are lots of beautiful views in your vineyard. Which is your favourite?
Maurizio Zanella: My favourite vineyard is Belvedere, on Mount
Alto, near Clusane d’Iseo, at over 460 meters above the sea level (1510 feet). It is one of the historic vineyards of Ca' del Bosco, which I discovered by chance during a motorcycle outing. It was a real revelation, also from a quality viewpoint.
Winefullness: You’ve a very labour-intensive business. Does this have any problems for you?
Maurizio: Manpower and expertise are essential in our work. Care and dedication require many hours of work, a lot of effort and patience. An excellent wine is born in the vineyard, so that's where our effort is concentrated. Carrying out most of the operations manually is not easy, but it is necessary for quality.
Winefullness: The Grape Spa (an innovative machine for washing grapes). Why had nobody thought of this before?
Maurizio: The Grape Spa has characterized our unique method of processing since the harvest of 2008. The system, designed especially for us, allows us to wash and dry different plots of grapes. Removing residues of agricultural treatments, dust and pollution from the skin allows us to enhance the intensity of all the aromas of our grapes. It is a choice dictated by the pleasure of a healthy, pure drinking experience, which is one of our main goals.
Tending the fields
Winefullness: You’re bottling process is designed to make a cleaner, longer lasting wine. How long do you think you could cellar a bottle of Ca’del Bosco on average?
Maurizio: The length of time depends on the type of Franciacorta, starting from 3-4 years for the Cuvée Prestige to over 10 years for the Riserva Annamaria Clementi. Then it also depends on the consumer's taste, whether they prefer to taste our wines now or after a few years. On our side, we have strived to ensure a product that can have a long life after dégorgement and can evolve in a taste that amazes consumers.
Winefullness: You also produce white and red wines. Could this lead to brand confusion for consumers who know you as being famous for Franciacorta?
Maurizio: Our production began with still wines, white and red, as this was the tradition in the Franciacorta region. Now still wines classified as Curtefranca DOC or Rosso del Sebino IGT remain as part of our production albeit in a smaller quantity than Franciacorta DOCG.
Even though over the years still wines have been put in the background in favour of the Franciacorta wines, they still remain a fundamental part of our production, as they allow us to offer our customers a complete range capable of satisfying any drinking situation, and they represent a clear demonstration
Ca'del Bosco from above
of how Franciacorta is a land with a vocation for wine in general. The consumer is simply spoiled for choice.
Winefullness: Your reds seem to rely on the usual international varieties. With the wealth of homegrown varieties, aren't you tempted to introduce more of these into your wines?
Maurizio Zanella: Currently, the cross-national varieties, namely Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère are giving us great results. Here the particularity of the soils, especially in the south-eastern part of the territory, allows us to achieve high levels of quality. The introduction, or rather the recovery, of autonomous varieties can certainly represent a great challenge, but first we need to deepen our knowledge of these local grape varieties. At the moment, let's say that this concerns only Erbamat, the native white grape variety introduced in the Franciacorta DOCG specification in 2017. Ca' del Bosco was one of the first winegrowers to plant Erbamat in the late 1980s in vineyards at 466 metres above sea level. Today, the area cultivated with Erbamat is approximately 1.5 ha in the municipalities of Passirano and Provaglio d'Iseo (average altitude 250-300) but it is not yet used in the cuvées.
Winefullness: Family seems to be at the heart of the Italian wine tradition. How do you encourage this at Ca’ del Bosco?
Maurizio: In my work, my mother has always been my guide, the one who supported me in my choices and encouraged me after a few falls. The support of those dear to you is essential in this activity, which requires many hours of work, because nature never stops. The same thing also applies to the employees: many of them have been with the company for over 20 years, it can be said that the family has grown over the years.
'...it can be said that the family has grown over the years.'
A bottle of beauty of a glass of giggles?
Winefullness: You are constantly working on new wines and new traditions. Are you working on anything new at the present moment?
Maurizio: We are working on a new project that perfectly combines past and present, but I can't say anything else...let's postpone everything until later! Stay tuned!
Winefullness: Art is everywhere in the winery and vineyard. When did the realisation come to you about the link between wine and art?
Maurizio: The passion for art springs from its similarity to wine, a three-dimensional product that stimulates multiple senses: vision, olfaction and taste. My predilection for sculpture is well served by the location, whose stunning landscapes provide the perfect setting for works of art.
'The passion for art springs from its similarity to wine.'
The works we have chosen express values and concepts associated with the natural cycles of the vineyards and their surroundings. With time, passion and creativity they have been enhanced by a taste for challenges and intellectual provocation. The works are not part of a collection: all the artists’ works are site-specific, planned after having visited the winery, so that the art will interact with the natural beauty of its context.
Art has played a fundamental role in the growth of the winery since the 1980s, allowing me to come into contact with people and worlds who prized quality wine and understood the added value of a cultural approach associated with the world of wine. A decision that made it possible for the wines of Ca’ del Bosco to quickly earn a solid reputation, which over the years has grown into an unbreakable bond. The resulting image is strong and long-lasting, of high cultural and economic quality, reflecting human ambition and perseverance.
Winefullness: What do you do to escape from work?
Maurizio: In my free time my great passions are the motorcycle, which I have cultivated since I was a child, and the bicycle with which I can discover new corners in Franciacorta and the sea.
Winefullness: Terroir is understandable here in such a beautiful location. How can this be translated to a person who doesn’t know the area?
Maurizio Zanella: It cannot be described in words. To all your readers I say: Come and visit us and you will find out!
Winefullness: What is your favourite food and wine pairing?
Maurizio: Spaghetti with tomato sauce and Cuvée Prestige. The best and simplest Italian dish with our flagship Franciacorta.
Winefullness: Does the uncertainty of climate change make it a problem working on long term strategies for growth?
Maurizio: Climate change is real, and here in Franciacorta we have had a clear demonstration of it with the last 5 vintages. Our solutions to be able to stem this phenomenon, which we hope is cyclical, were to opt for the purchase of land at high altitudes; we are talking about over 500 meters above sea level (1640 feet) and the introduction of the native grape Erbamat, which will be able to make a difference in being able to guarantee a correct level of acidity, essential for our Franciacorta. The hope is that global warming is a phase designed to stabilize.
Winefullness: Is there a question that you wish I’d have asked you, and how would you answer it?
Maurizio: Perhaps how I see Ca' del Bosco in the next 10 years. My answer? Always better.
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Reading back over this interview I think that the word that best describes Maurizio Zanella is passionate. This can be the wines, the art, his family, the promotion of Franciacorta as a wine destination to be visited in person, or by opening a bottle at home and understanding what he is achieving now, and what he dreams of achieving in the future.
Now enough talking! Where's that Cuvée Prestige to go with the spaghetti I'm making?
This is the smile of a man who knows he makes great wine
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Ca'del Bosco