Campo del Soglio – San Martino della Battaglia doc, Selva Capuzza

At barely 12 hectares, San Martino della Battaglia doc is one of the smallest denominations of origin in Italy. Campo del Soglio was first made in 1988. The idea was to prevent this tiny doc from being forgotten. With this wine, Luca Formentini wants to produce the best possible white wine and thus to illustrate the potential of this small doc. In 2008, the European Community banned the use of the name Tokay for any wines produced outside Hungary (Tokaji). This even though the grape variety has a long history here in Lombardy too. Hence the question mark on the label on the back of the bottle. A wine without a name. The white grape variety Tuchì (a synonym for Tokay or Sauvignonasse) is notorious for needing plenty of care and attention: thin skins, low acidity content and a short ripening curve make it a challenging sparring partner in the vineyard. The fact that these aspects are repeated in the vinification process probably explains why most winemakers have almost completely given up on this grape variety. Luca Formentini bucks the trend. His solution is an uncompromisingly small yield. The grapes are picked by hand and then conveyed in small crates to the cellar, where they are gently pressed. The must is cooled straight away then transferred to stainless steel tanks for maturation. The finished wine is bottled between spring and summer.