|  His
style is making fully extracted, powerful and structured
red wines. Even though he prefers concentrated and structured
wine, he is upset about the increased use of concentrating
machines. He believes that concentration should be done
in the vineyard, not the cellar.
He is not comfortable in making whites.
Ferrini makes no bones about the Bordeaux superiority
because of centuries of experience of consistent wine
making and says it has inspired him. Perhaps that is
why his forte is blending varietals. 'They also work
with the terroirs they are experts in,' he says.
Ferrini belongs to the group that is keen on modifying
Chianti Classico regulations. Like Marco Pallanti, he
also feels the varietal regulations should set a 50%
minimum for Sangiovese in the wine blend to preserve
Tuscan identity (currently 80%). The balance should
consist of Colorino, Malvasia Nera, Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot, and Petit Verdot in flexible quantities.
With such regulations, Ferrini feels he could make
a Chianti Classico that would be a supreme expression
of its terroir. He strongly believes that it is the
land that makes the wine. Therefore, only the land should
dictate the vine varieties used.
Ferrini believes that the best Sangiovese grapes are
grown between 400 and 500 ms. above sea level. But it
also makes it difficult to get dark colour due to the
temperature and sometimes it is difficult for Sangiovese
to attain full ripeness as also stressed by Pallanti
whose Castello di Ama is situated at 500 ms. Since Merlot
ripens earlier than Sangiovese and has characteristics
such as colour and soft tannins that Sangiovese lacks,
it becomes an important blend for Sangiovese.
Ferrini feels that it is easy to create small amounts,
say one thousand bottles, of super wine but difficult
to create large volumes of superb wine. Journalists,
he suggested, should concentrate their attention on
labels that represent a production of over 40,000 bottles.
Here again he hails Bordeaux because the great chateaux
make large volumes of wine at the pinnacle of wine quality.
For Ferrini, Ornellaia symbolizes the great project
of Tuscany's 1990s. 'Ornellaia made great, innovative
wine on a scale that could impact the market in a real
way', he says. Ornellaia, by the way, has not been his
client.
He prefers to work in Tuscany and drive several hundred
kilometres daily to visit his clients rather then fly.
 He
is universally acknowledged to be one of Italy's foremost
winemakers. A consultant winemaker at many of Tuscany's
leading estates, Carlo Ferrini is active in Chianti
Classico, Montalcino, Montepulciano, Arezzo and Pisa,
as well as the Morellino di Scansano area of Maremma,
where his skill and long experience with his beloved
Sangiovese grape are matched by his expertise with the
Bordeaux varieties, Cabernet and Merlot.
Apart from Tuscany he works for a few premium wineries
in his second most -favourite region, Sicily- like Donnafugata,
Planeta and Regaleali. All these wines are being imported
into India.
For his magical performance, he has been frequently
recognised. Gambero Rosso declared him "Winemaker
of the Year" in 2000. So did AIS (Associazione
Italiana Sommelier) in 2003.
He prefers to work in Tuscany and drive several hundred
kilometres daily to visit his clients rather then fly.
Carlo Fellini is not yet a global phenomenon like Michel
Rolland who, besides having the language advantage also
has no qualms of flying to his global destinations-
in his plane or other commercial aircrafts.
Perhaps, he may decide to join the august circle of
flying winemakers at a future date - he is 53 years
young and has time on his hands.
Subhash Arora
September 16, 2007
Photos :: Subhash Arora
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