Ca’ del Bosco has drawn up a manifesto dedicated to the territory of Franciacorta

The Pandemic that Covid-19 triggered has forced Ca’ del Bosco to stop production. So, the third generations that have lived in the famous mansion in Franciacorta for many years, have decided to take this opportunity to reflect on its history and how it imagines the future. The result is a 4 point manifesto: using and consuming; enhancing art and culture; balancing tradition and innovation, and ecology, ethics, education, entitled, Ca’ del Bosco Manifesto - Renaissance, Wine Culture, Avant-garde. Maurizio Zanella (always the trailblazer) presented the Manifesto, together with his staff, at the luxury resort Borgo Egnazia. The resort, immersed in the fascinating Itria Valley, in Apulia, and next to the Archeologic Park of Egnazia, has, for years, been rated at the top of the most beautiful hotels in the world.
The idea came from the desire to face the fear that has gripped everyone, Ca’ del Bosco as well and to transform it into a renewal, starting from now. This is also the reason they have asked the new generations to collaborate, and specifically, Federico Piva (trade Italy), Luca Cinacchi (foreign trade), Monica Faletti (communications), Laura Botta (marketing) as well as the philosopher Leonardo Caffo, who have all been living and breathing the history and corporate philosophy of Ca’ del Bosco for several years. However, they still have inquisitive minds and fresh views to be able to inject new ideas. “ We wanted to let the young people take the lead because often in artistic and industrial processes time plays against ideas that don’t accept different viewpoints”, MaurizioZanella, head of the iconic company in Franciacorta explained to WineNews. He also mentioned the motto, “Ca’ del Bosco recounts” to underline the fact the first generations often fall into not budging from traditional positions.
Everyone talks about sustainability, even this Manifesto; however, it is considered in terms of “usage” and “responsibility” towards the territory that is home to and the fortune of the company. This is the reason that Ca’ del Bosco chose Borgo Egnazia to present its Manifesto. No acquisitions were planned in Apulia (even though rumors said so), rather the companies acknowledging each other and both being thankful for what their territories have given them. “We must now change from being owners to becoming custodians and therefore responsible for the land we are occupying and commit to giving it back in better conditions than we found it”, said Zanella. We must change from consuming to a progressive use of the land. He cited Aristotle’s process of becoming, the intention to protect the environment during the entire process in which nature (potential) becomes wine (action). Ca’ del Bosco has adopted the saying by the French Platonic philosopher, Bernard de Chartres, “we are midgets on the shoulders of giants”, to explain its version of tradition and innovation. In other words, to have the courage to embrace technology and research, patent new methods that respect the land’s potential and realize what is in our future. They want to begin a continuing cycle of new practices founded on deep knowledge, which will build new habits. The ultimate goal is to eliminate the superfluous as much as possible and better understand the esthetic potential of the land.
The last two points of the manifesto concern ethical topics. First of all, art and culture, which have always been a fundamental part of the philosophy and the daily work of Ca’ del Bosco, and they have built, over the years, a formidable archive of the works and relationships with artists, photographers and writers. Wine does not stand alone. It has a continual hedonistic and esthetic dialogue with nature, from which it is created, and with the people that drink it, commanding an almost spontaneous artistic type of story. That “almost” is the bridge that Ca’ del Bosco has created and wants to continue to build between art and the countryside, to send contemporary ecological messages. “We often have had to violate our rural environment to accept these incursions, triggering astonishment, surprise and envy. But then”, continued Zanella, “once things settled down, it contributed to enhancing everyone, even the consumer who visits the winery and starts to associate esthetics to wine and its environment”. Art, then, is the driving force that enhances the entire territory, going beyond the company towards first its neighbors, then Franciacorta and why not, all of Italy.
Finally, Ca’ del Bosco has always put human relationships and education foremost and from now on they would like to develop ecological and social projects. These will be revealed in 2022, during the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the first vintage the top sparkling wine company put on the market. We are at the beginning of a path started 4-5 years ago that involved everyone at the same level. The path is not expensive” concluded Zanella, “ because we just need to dedicate some time, some small investments, but above all, humility. More than anything else, time is important. Time and experience cannot be bough,t and they are necessary to teach about and to make wine”.
Ca’ del Bosco not only recounted its history, but it also “counted” (a play on words from the title re – count). They decided to also present the new Cuvée Prestige and its new label. The company, just like all the most prestigious Champagne Maisons (since they cannot count on a vintage, but they can count on the harmonious balance of the various years and terroirs assembled by the historic winemaker, Stefano Capelli), has decided that from now on all their Cuvée Prestige wines will have the number of the edition on the label, starting with number 42 (base year 2017), presented this year. Further, to enhance its elevated ripening potential, each Cuvée Prestige will become “RS”, Recentemente Sboccato (recently disgorged), after at least 10 years on yeasts, and therefore becoming a collectible item for wine lovers. In November, there will be the first box of 5 different RS editions, including numbers 34,33,32,31 and 30.

Focus: The Ca’ del Bosco Manifesto – Renaissance, Wine Culture, Avant-garde

Usage (...and cultivation) not consuming
Ca’ del Bosco means listening to Nature, and it also means giving its forms the possibility of expressing themselves, utilizing man’s help, who is the custodian of the extraordinary territory he is using, but not consuming. The Ca’ del Bosco Method is a method that allows product identity only if it continues to invest in the territory that created it, which is why they chose organic viniculture. Therefore, Nature decides and Ca’ del Bosco must only help it, because our wine is in the vineyards, exactly like Michelangelo’s David was in the block of marble. Nature is potential and wine is its product. Maurizio Zanella and his family are the custodians of the passage from potential to product.

Balancing tradition and innovation
Ca’ del Bosco means innovation, or rather finding the best way to give Nature’s forms (vineyards) a Cultural form (wine). In order to listen to the reality and the complexity of Nature, Ca’ del Bosco believes in innovation, research, and technology integated with man’s knowledge of the land’s potential. Patenting new methods of washing grapes or eliminating oxygen is the exact opposite of a technical invasion in the fields. It means eliminating everything, superfluous or artificial, that might not let comprehend the esthetic potential of our land. Technological innovation is, then, what we will call tomorrow’s tradition. Ca’ del Bosco has the courage to say that today we are respected for our traditions, only because someone in the past had the courage to innovate.

Enhancing Art and Culture
Ca’ del Bosco means investing in art, materially and spiritually. It has an excellent archive of artists, photographers and writers that have collaborated on cultural and training projects and we hope their collaboration will continue and consolidate. Our aspiration is to create ideas and the passion for detail as well as defending the beauty and narration of the spiritual composition of our wines, through communication investments in biodiversity and ecology of the territory, and we are very close to a keyword for Ca’ del Bosco – contemporary.

Ecology, ethics, education
Ca’ del Bosco means investing in ethics, a system of values with which we have built an international reference point while never losing the spirit of our entrepreneurial dream. Our dream has let us cultivate not only vines, but human relationships with the people who work at Ca’ del Bosco, social projects and most all comprehensive education for environmental sustainability and Made in Italy. Ca’ del Bosco is the final concept of a complex connection between artisanship and manual work, attention to Italian products made from unique and excellent typical prime materials. Transferring this cultural product to an ethical one is our challenge. We are working on social and ecology projects that will transform the exceptional Franciacorta territory into a workshop to build “tomorrow” for the entire international community.