vino

Ever since I started The Style Inside, this post has been waiting in the wings. A few weeks ago you may remember that I posted a brief, tantalising entry entitled "beyond these doors...". It's now high time that I showed you just what it is that lies behind them. I've been waiting for a suitably 'soft' day in terms of lighting, as the sun tends to be rather merciless in the brightness that it produces at this time of year. But as it's either glaring sun or dull greyness I decided I couldn't wait a minute longer and just grabbed my camera. In any case as you can see, I opted for black and white rather than colour after all. Also I wanted to take advantage of the kindness and readiness of the winemakers in accomodating my request to photograph their prize bottles...
Where do I start then? Well, you see in our idyllic little town in the southern tip of Ticino, nestled into a gloriously sun drenched valley, there are vineyards a plenty. They stretch along the river and roll gently over the foothills to create a most pleasing view of this fertile land. The wine produced from these grapes is a Merlot, the most popular for this region. There is a rather interesting, important building right in the centre of our village. It is the house of the Caverzasio family. Giovanni Caverzasio has been making his wine here for over 30 years and his cellars have evolved over the years due to the growing success of his production. Giovanni's wife Brigitta, kindly took us on a tour of the impressive cellars and also showed us round their historical building, explaining the various stages of the winemaking process. Their wine is not only beautifully packaged, it has also earned itself a well-deserved place amongst the most refined Merlots produced in this region. It's a winning recipe backed up by years and years of experience and a deep love of this land. Whilst you can easily buy a bottle of Tre Terre (the name stems from the 3 communities or 'lands' that form this beautiful area at the foothills of the Centovalli) or the sophisticated Rompidèe in many of the stores here, nothing quite compares to ringing the doorbell at casa Caverzasio in Verscio to be welcomed by Brigitta's smile and shown into the 'store room' for an informal and wonderfully authentic and charming transaction.