{"title":"Piwi","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePIWI\u003c\/strong\u003e is a German acronym for \u003cem\u003epilzwiderstandsfähig\u003c\/em\u003e, meaning fungus-resistant, which encapsulates one of the most radical ideas in contemporary viticulture: to create a vine that does not need to be defended with pesticides, because it carries resistance written in its DNA. This is not a recent utopia. The story began in the second half of the 19th century, when phylloxera and fungal diseases, downy mildew and powdery mildew, devastated European vineyards. The answer was hybridization: crossing European \u003cem\u003eVitis vinifera\u003c\/em\u003e with naturally resistant American and Asian varieties, selecting the best plants, and starting over. A long process, averaging 10-15 years for each new variety, which throughout the 20th century produced grapevines capable of growing healthy with very few, often zero, treatments. Today, PIWI varieties can cover up to 95-98% of \u003cem\u003eVitis vinifera\u003c\/em\u003e genetic heritage, making them virtually indistinguishable in terms of quality from traditional grape varieties.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"\u003eThe paradox of PIWI is that, born to solve an agronomic problem, they have become a cultural response. Those who cultivate them do not do so because it is easier; it is still careful, manual viticulture, respectful of the soil, but because they believe that the future of wine must come from here: less chemistry, fewer tractors, more vibrant vineyards, and healthier ecosystems. The varieties I select, Solaris, Bronner, Souvignier Gris, and others, come from producers who work organically on mountain or lowland soils, with spontaneous fermentations and minimal intervention in the cellar. Wines that express the terroir with the same precision as any great indigenous grape variety, without the vine having had to be saved by force of treatments.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"bronner-2019-thomas-niedermayr","title":"Bronner - Mitterberg IGT 2019 Thomas Niedermayr","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBronner\u003c\/strong\u003e was born in 1975 from the hybridization of Merzling and Geisenheim 6494 — two natural varieties with traces of \u003cstrong\u003eRiesling and Pinot Grigio\u003c\/strong\u003e in their DNA. A noble lineage for a PIWI grape variety resistant to fungi, which on these Dolomitic slopes expresses something precise and recognizable. \u003cstrong\u003eThomas Niedermayr\u003c\/strong\u003e cultivates it in two different locations: \u003cstrong\u003eHof Gandberg\u003c\/strong\u003e with its deep calcareous-dolomitic soil, and a wilder plot at the foot of the \u003cstrong\u003eTexel Group\u003c\/strong\u003e, on poor and stony gneiss — two terroirs that merge into a single cuvée, adding complexity to a grape variety that already possesses it. Manual harvesting in several passes between September 3 and 13, 2019, several hours of maceration in the press, delicate pressing, spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts for several weeks. The aging alternates between steel and neutral wooden barrels — first on the total lees, then on the fine lees — to build structure without losing freshness. Bottled in April 2021, without fining or filtration.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Thomas Niedermayr","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43367938130145,"sku":"","price":29.5,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0377\/4277\/2364\/products\/tBronner-2018-Thomas-Niedermayr.jpg?v=1664465204"},{"product_id":"solaris-vigneti-delle-dolomiti-igt-2020-thomas-niedermayr","title":"Solaris - Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT 2020 Thomas Niedermayr","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThomas Niedermayr\u003c\/strong\u003e’s \u003cstrong\u003eSolaris\u003c\/strong\u003e is the wine that kicks off every harvest at \u003cstrong\u003eHof Gandberg\u003c\/strong\u003e — the first to be picked, between August and late summer, when the earliest vines on the calcareous-dolomitic terraces of Appiano are already ready. Solaris is a \u003cstrong\u003ePIWI\u003c\/strong\u003e variety — an acronym for the German \u003cem\u003epilzwiderstandsfähig\u003c\/em\u003e, meaning fungus-resistant — a cross selected to thrive without anti-fungal treatments. At 500-700 meters on white dolomite and clay soils, it expresses a rocky minerality and freshness that few other mountain varieties can match. It was \u003cstrong\u003eRudolf Niedermayr\u003c\/strong\u003e, Thomas’s father, who first planted Solaris in Italy — a pioneering gamble when organic farming was still a minority position and resistant varieties were viewed with suspicion. Brief maceration in the press, soft pressing, spontaneous alcoholic and malolactic fermentation, then \u003cstrong\u003e15 months in neutral oak\u003c\/strong\u003e, acacia, and chestnut barrels — first on gross lees, then on fine lees — and finally a period in steel before bottling in April 2022. Total sulfites at 24 mg\/l, unfiltered, unfined. The resulting Solaris is clear, precise, and mineral: stone fruit and flint on the nose, energetic and direct on the palate.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Thomas Niedermayr","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43367976599777,"sku":"","price":27.5,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0377\/4277\/2364\/products\/Solaris-2018-Thomas-Niedermayr.jpg?v=1664465971"},{"product_id":"souvignier-gris-mitterberg-igt-2021-thomas-niedermayr","title":"Souvignier Gris Mitterberg IGT 2021 Thomas Niedermayr","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eAmong the \u003cstrong\u003ePIWI\u003c\/strong\u003e grape varieties in the Niedermayr range, \u003cstrong\u003eSouvignier Gris\u003c\/strong\u003e is the one Thomas himself describes as the most neutral – and he means it as a compliment. Selected in 1983 at the Viticulture Institute in Freiburg from a cross between Seyval Blanc and Zähringer, it has pinkish skin and magenta-rust colored bunches that grow in Appiano on deep clay-limestone and white dolomitic soils at 270-400 meters. It was \u003cstrong\u003eRudolf Niedermayr\u003c\/strong\u003e who planted the first Souvignier Gris vines in 2006 – a pioneer here too, as with Solaris. Its neutrality is its strength: in the glass, it does not impose pronounced aromatic characteristics but lets the \u003cstrong\u003eterroir\u003c\/strong\u003e speak – fine citrus acidity, delicate tannins, mineral and saline structure, the dolomitic signature of the mountain. Soft pressing of whole grapes, spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, aging in neutral oak barrels and steel. Unfiltered.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Thomas Niedermayr","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43368006418657,"sku":"","price":27.5,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0377\/4277\/2364\/products\/Souvignier-Gris-2018-Thomas-Niedermayr.jpg?v=1664466408"},{"product_id":"cecile-souvignier-gris-mitterberg-igt-2024-dornach-patrick-uccelli","title":"Cecile Souvignier Gris - Mitterberg IGT 2024 Dornach Patrick Uccelli","description":"\u003cp\u003eIl \u003cstrong\u003eCécile Souvignier Gris\u003c\/strong\u003e è il macerato PIWI di \u003cstrong\u003eDornach\u003c\/strong\u003e: \u003cstrong\u003eSouvignier Gris\u003c\/strong\u003e, un vitigno resistente a bacca rosa sviluppato negli anni Ottanta a Friburgo, coltivato in biodinamica su suoli di \u003cstrong\u003eporfido (riolite)\u003c\/strong\u003e a Salorno e vinificato con \u003cstrong\u003eotto-dodici giorni di macerazione sulle bucce\u003c\/strong\u003e a seconda dell'annata, poi affinato in \u003cstrong\u003etonneaux da 500 litri usati\u003c\/strong\u003e. Il risultato è un bianco macerato ambrato, elegante e accessibile, con aromi di arancia e albicocca e note speziate, un tannino elegante e una freschezza che lo rende sorprendentemente versatile a tavola. \u003cstrong\u003ePatrick Uccelli\u003c\/strong\u003e è stato tra i primi in Alto Adige a scommettere sui PIWI combinandoli con la biodinamica, e il Souvignier Gris è forse il vitigno resistente che più di tutti è capace di produrre vini complessi e di carattere. Un macerato che non spaventa, per chi vuole scoprire il mondo degli orange wine senza traumi.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dornach Patrick Uccelli","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55650014298452,"sku":null,"price":26.5,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0377\/4277\/2364\/files\/Cecile-Souvignier-Gris-Mitterberg-IGT-2024-Dornach-Patrick-Uccelli.jpg?v=1780990230"}],"url":"https:\/\/wivood.com\/en\/collections\/piwi.oembed","provider":"Wivood","version":"1.0","type":"link"}