DWNL - Alessandro Salvano

dwnl® stands for drink wines, not labels. In the spring of 2019, I decided to develop a project that uses wine as a vehicle to convey a message, breaking some molds. We're in the Langhe region, a few meters outside the Barolo region: in 1980, an area of 11 municipalities was designated where production of this renowned wine is permitted. My family, a three-generation winemaker, is just a few meters outside this area.

Dwnl is a project that begins with reflection, stimulating constructive discussion. The dwnl philosophy stems from three questions regarding the relationship between product and value:

1. PRODUCTION AND TERRITORY: Are we certain that a decision made more than 40 years ago, which has affected the lives of so many people, is still valid today?
2. CONVENTION AND QUALITY: Should the quality of a product and therefore its market positioning depend on a legal name?
3. LABEL: Does it make sense that labels influence us so much?

Based on the reflections and questions that form the dwnl philosophy, OUTSIDE was born, the wine that epitomizes the project: it follows the Barolo regulations despite being outside the legal boundaries and will never obtain that designation. The goal is to demonstrate, during a face-to-face tasting, the product's striking similarity to those within the boundaries.

In addition to OUTSIDE, dwnl's production includes more readily available wines that don't require lengthy aging and can be released the summer after harvest. The vineyards across the border, cultivated respectfully without the use of herbicides or chemical fertilizers, produce grapes that are fermented and vinified with the same philosophy used for Outside: whole bunch, indigenous yeasts, no fining or filtration, and low levels of sulfites.