A Slow Food “Chiocciola” winery and by far one of the most awarded in Oltrepò Pavese, Andrea Picchioni's is one of the most beautiful and healthy wine-producing realities in Lombardy. Meticulous in the vineyard and prudent in the cellar, a purveyor of careful, rigorous and clean choices, Picchioni interprets the Oltrepò with spectacular wines for their adherence to the territory and tradition, for their simplicity that, in the glass, magically turns into a surprising complexity. Located in Canneto Pavese, the quality heart of the area, the winery is relatively young. Founded in the nineties, it has grown gradually, using the experience of the local winemakers. The conversion to organic, here is certainly not a fad, and Picchioni approaches it with practicality: product quality and protection of the territory go hand in hand.
In the Solinga Valley, one of the most suitable areas in Oltrepò, Picchioni has recovered some of the best “bricchi” (slopes) from abandonment: vineyards located on often impervious and steep, loose and pebbly soils, but which benefit from fantastic exposure. Grapes that are perfectly ripe, therefore, but at the same time sapid, mineral and vertical, therefore of great elegance. More interested in the Rossist tradition of the Oltrepò than in the more recent sparkling wine trend, Picchioni manages his range consistently and rigorously. And it is no coincidence that the grapes and the typical wines of the territory (those that, with an over-abused expression, we would say "of the grandparents") are his warhorses.
Rosso d'Asia, in the Picchioni range, is the perfect combination of tradition and innovation. It is in fact a Croatina (albeit with a small dose of Ughetta), therefore the typical wine of the history of Oltrepò, which, after a couple of weeks of maceration, stays for at least a year in small wooden barrels. Old historic vineyards, on sandy-pebbly soils, recovered in the 1980s and previously abandoned, produce a Croatina that surpasses itself in terms of elegance, concentration and vocation for aging. When young it has an intense and bright ruby colour, then tilts to garnet. The bouquet is broad, varied, with hints of ripe berries, sour cherry, undergrowth, spices, vanilla, liquorice and the typical balsamic note of the grapes grown in the Solinga valley. On the palate it is full-bodied, with smooth tannins, full, rich, broad, not without grip and freshness thanks to the decisive but very balanced use of wood. It is a dream with pasta dishes seasoned with game sauces, risotto with sausage, roasted lamb, braised red meats.
