OUT OF THE UNION BETWEEN COTARELLA, ONE OF ITALY’S TOP ENOLOGISTS, AND SELOSSE, THE GREATEST REVOLUTIONARY IN THE WORLD OF CHAMPAGNE, THE “DUBL GRECO” DI FEUDI DI SAN GREGORIO HAS BEEN CREATED

After the Dubl Falanghina and the Dubl Rosato di Aglianico, the “prized duo” Riccardo Cotarella-Anselme Selosse, together with the top label Feudi di San Gregorio, have debuted with their third classic method spumante made from autochthonous grapes: Dubl Greco.
The vernissage, “Science: Greco di Tufo, Etruscan Autochthonous, Perfect for Making Spumante”, was held recently in Milan. And, among the event’s participants were Riccardo Cotarella, Anselme Selosse and Professor Attilio Scienza, who was the one to break the ice by explaining that Greco di Tufo is one of the oldest autochthonous grape varieties in Italy and, though it could be erroneously presumed by the name, it did not derive from Greeks but from Etruscans. In fact, some French experts believe this could be a grape that belongs to the Pinot family, which would make it even that much more suitable for making sparkling wines. But what could have stimulated someone like Anselme Selosse (considered one of the most important revolutionaries in the history of champagne, second only to Dom Perignon, as well as artisan champagne and wine producer), to undertake this endeavor in Irpinia? Selosse explains: “First off, before meeting with enologist Riccardo Cotarella and the team at Feudi di San Gregorio, I visited the Spanish winemaking region of Priorat. There, I found a determination to keep the local traditions alive in order to give new generations a future for their own land. In Irpinia, where the land is still wounded by the earthquake in 1980, I found the same type of determination and will. I offer ideas and knowledge that the people of the area must adapt to the local reality”. And what are the goals of the project?
“Surely,” – responds again Selosse – “not an imitation of something that already exists, like champagne, or the spumante that already exists in northern Italy and other regions. What interests me is giving different expressions to local vineyards through bubbles. After Falanghina, which I consider a spumante for festive events, and Aglianico rosato, here is the Greco di Tufo 2004 harvest, 36 months on yeasts and, I personally think, the best, both for the strength of the grape variety as well as for the experience accumulated in the meantime. A wine for special occasions”.
And what did Riccardo Cotarella have to say about it? “Working for a company like Feudi di San Gregorio is a pride in and of itself, and working with Anselme is an extraordinary experience. We immediately met with the desire to understand each other, speaking a French-English mix, with a bit of Italian thrown in. The technology that he brought is not French technology: it is the technology of Selosse, a unique person. Here, he found these three grape varieties that, though very different from each other, have a common characteristic: the lateness of their ripening. This allows for acids and minerals, fundamental for the production of spumante, combined with the richness offered by the Mediterranean sun.
Francesco Beghi