Who’s Your Daddy?
by Jennifer Laskey verPlanck and John VerPlanck
by Jennifer Laskey verPlanck and John VerPlanck
A few years back we visited the
Serego Alighieri Winery, north of Verona, Italy. It was founded in 1353 by the son of the poet
Dante Alighieri, best known for his Divine Comedy. Still in the family over six hundred years
later, it is hardly unique in continuous family-owned wineries. Chateau de Goulaine in France’s Loire valley,
has been making Muscadet, Vouvray and Sancerre since 1000 A.D. The winery of
Barone Ricasoli was founded in 1141 A.D., and Feudi San Gregorio has been family
run since 590 A.D. These are all noted
producers, and all still in the same family.
Families have operated
wineries through the Hundred Years war, the Black Death, the Napoleonic wars,
the Norman invasion, the Crusades and the discovery and settling of North
America.
We can hardly match that in our
country, but there are many examples of estates still in the family after one
hundred years or more.
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There is a trap however. The name may be old but the ownership may be
new. A number of businesses have been
sold to conglomerates, often with a decided decline in quality. We have seen a few of our favorites go
rapidly downhill following their absorption by the big
guys.
We are always told that the
acquisition will have no effect on the product, and sometimes it is true. We carry wines whose vignerons have been
given autonomy to produce their product on their own terms. So, while their parent company does not
represent the family name, the wine still does.
The oldest continuously operated winery in the United States is the Brotherhood Winery, founded in
Washingtonville, New York in 1839.
The age of a winery is interesting,
but not necessarily all that significant, nor is the family presence, unless
they maintain their level of quality and consistency. Grape vines older than forty to fifty years
are at the end of their productive years.
There are vineyards in Campania where Spartacus once camped, but the
vines have been replanted hundreds of times.
One exception to the old vine rule
is a vine we saw at Hampton Court Palace. This oldest and largest vine was
planted there in 1768. It is now
thirteen feet around the base and produces over 800 pounds of Black Hamburg
grapes per year. Archie Bunker aside,
“All in the Family” still has some meaning.
© 2018 Text John and
Jennifer Verplanck, all rights reserved.
Photo/ illustration
credit: Personal photos of the author, Wiki media commons, Bigfoto.com, public
domain, MorgueFile.com, PDPhoto.org
