Mirco Mariotti Rosato Sèt e Mèz

Mirco Mariotti Rosato Sèt e Mèz

This is farmer-fizz from local varieties that’s unique, delicious, and without pretense.

Mirco Mariotti makes wines in the Bosco Eliceo area in the eastern part of Emilia-Romagna, from vines growing just 300 meters from the Adriatic sea and over 100 years old. The vines are non-grafted on their own native rootstock, with roots that dig as deep as two meters in the sandy soil.

He uses the process of propaggine, a type of selezione massale, for new vines. They are gnarly. And, by growing vines so close to the beach, that savory, even salty mouthfeel, really come through. Mariotti is an excellent example of a producer who is making more interesting wines than a generation ago.

Mariotti’s wines are named after local card games that the locals play in towns while splashing back frizzante of local varietals.

Old-school bottle-fermented (rifermentato in bottiglia) wines out of the native grapes Trebbiano Romagnolo, and a rare red called Fortana – a savoury wild thing with high acid and a black cherry or wild strawberry notes depending on vintage; sometimes a bitter vermouth-like spice to it.

Appellation: Emilia IGT

Type of soils: 89% sand, 7% clay, 4% lime

Variety: Fortana

Vine age: Some vines were planted in 1952, some other vines are centenary. All on native rootstock (piede franco).

Yeasts: Native yeasts

Malolactic fermentation: No

Élevage: 10 months in bottle

Sulphur: 40 mg/L total, 10 mg/L free

Annual production: 800 cases

Alcohol: 12%