Filarole - Barbara Pulliero & Paolo Rusconi

Filarole is a family project and was born from the desire to work old vineyards, preserving them from abandonment and uprooting.

The adventure began in the fall of 2016 when we discovered our first vineyard, abandoned for six years. Year after year, more were added, and today we cultivate seven hectares of vineyards with vines ranging in age from 35 to over 100 years . This choice was made not only for the "enological" qualities of the grapes, but above all to preserve traditionally cultivated vineyards (with massal selection) and the genetic biodiversity of the grapes found there.

How we work in the vineyard

Our vineyards are scattered throughout the valley, almost all isolated among woods and fields. Small plots at varying altitudes (from 150 to 450 meters above sea level), with varying exposures, on diverse soil types, vineyards growing different grape varieties, as was traditional. This is why our harvest is always very long: we pick the grapes slowly, as they ripen, vine by vine .

We have chosen organic farming , using only copper, sulfur, and zeolite in the vineyard, and trying to minimize mechanical interventions and processing. The life of the soil is just as important to us as the life around the plants, which is why we allow wild herbs to grow and limit fertilization. We personally handle all manual work , from pruning to harvesting, allowing us to get to know each plant and each vineyard and observe their potential and needs.

How our wines are born in the cellar

With these grapes and a careful selection of the bunches during the harvest, the work in the cellar is extremely simple: just grapes, time, and patience, without any additives . For the white grapes, we chose to vinify them with the skins, as was the local tradition until the 1980s. We love still, structured wines, and ours are just as good, despite being located in an area where the wine is primarily sparkling. To enhance the characteristics of the grapes, we don't use wooden containers, but only neutral ones: concrete and fiberglass. The wine is aged in the bottle.

The territory

The Tidone Valley is the first valley in Emilia-Romagna, bordering Lombardy. Here, viticulture is typically hilly and is still accompanied by a variety of crops that create a varied and pleasant landscape. The main grapes are Barbera and Croatina (red grapes), and Ortrugo and Malvasia aromatica di Candia (white grapes).