IL RIO

Between the town of Vicchio di Mugello and the Tuscan-Romagna Apennines there is a small productive reality, Il Rio. The winery is owned by Paolo Cerrini, who in the early '90s tried his hand at viticulture starting from typical Nordic vines, betting

Between the town of Vicchio di Mugello and the Tuscan-Romagna Apennines there is a small productive reality, Il Rio. The winery is owned by Paolo Cerrini, who in the early '90s tried his hand at viticulture starting from typical Nordic vines, betting on the soil and climate characteristics of an area that has always been considered unsuitable for viticulture. In reality, the soil, characterized by a clayey substratum, together with the continental climate - with a good temperature range between day and night - gave Paolo and his cultivation of pinot noir, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. Today these varieties, after several experiments, continue to form the backbone of the winery's vineyards, which are spread over two hectares of land divided into two different plots. In the winery the work is oriented towards a simple approach: we try to intervene as little as possible, in order not to frustrate the most important path, the one taken in the vineyard. The must is moved only by fall, thanks to worktops placed at different heights, thus limiting the use of pumps, and the barriques are renewed every 4-5 years. The filtration operations are carried out only for the white and rosé wines, while the red wine goes directly into the glass from the vat. Paolo Cerrini, - today helped by his life partner Manuela - chooses to organize his work by promoting a sensible and rational economic organization of wine, a manifesto of the "Independent Winemakers" movement to which Rio has adhered since 2016. Today a few thousand bottles come out of the walls of the cellar, for a careful and limited production, niche, dedicated to those who are passionate about small producers who often, in a market so wide but dominated by certain logic, are not able to make their voices heard. Four labels have been produced - "Ventisei", "Annita", "Terosé" and "Carabà" - so far, hoping that in the future there will be the possibility to expand the range.