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Happiness Comes in Small Packages
Dieulele
is Returned to Life
by Jacques Vignes
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Piero Tosi accepts the first bottling of Dieulele |
More
than 915 years after sharecroppers in Tuscany started producing
wine, Mario di Dievole had one of the most important days of
his life. He met with Magnifico Rettore Piero Tosi, the Dean
of the University of Siena as well as the Dean of Deans of Italian
Universities, to deliver a case of the 2001 Dieulele from Dievole,
along with three bottles of the 2004 Pontignano's first harvest.
The wine was produced by the Dievole winery as part of a joint
venture with the University of Siena, which has jurisdiction
over the Cartusia Pontiniani monastery. There, Mario di Dievole
and his team of master vintners are responsible (for the next
25 years) for maintaining the restored estate grounds, and for
producing wine and olive oil the way monks did in the 12th century. “After
20 years at Dievole, and thanks to the experience carried from
generation to generation, I am proud to present to you these
early fruits of our labor,” said the
emotional Mario di Dievole to the Dean.
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| Carla
Zarrilli unveils the ancient scroll |
As
if this was not enough, Mario di Dievole then met with the Siena
State Archives Director Carla Zarrilli, who presented him with the
sheepskin parchment dating back to 1090, showcasing evidence of
wine being produced by sharecroppers even before that date. “Truly,
this is an incredible moment for me. I have been waiting to see
this document for so many years. I can’t believe it’s
finally in my hands and I can see it with my own eyes,” pronounced
Mario di Dievole. In fact, it was just for a few moments as the
document will be returned to the archive. However, Mario di Dievole
hopes to get permission to display the document from time to time
in the chapel at his winery estate in Vagliagli near Siena. Despite
all this excitement, he later confessed he was disappointed the
6x17-inch scroll seemed so small.
 Dievole Fourplay
No. 1 featured as a Wine
of the Week
For more information
on the Dievole winery, see the winery
profile
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