One Grape, One Method

Alberto Barozzi is the third generation of his family to work the vineyards of Vignola — a village in the hills of the Modena Apennines that carries a name steeped in viticultural history. The Latin "vineola" means "piccola vigna" — tiny vineyard — and Vignola has been a place of grape cultivation since ancient times. The Barozzi family has farmed this land for decades, but Alberto has dedicated himself to a more artisanal, natural approach — one that looks backward to move forward. His philosophy is rooted in a deep respect for local tradition: making wine the way his ancestors did, with minimal intervention and a strong focus on the unique terroir of their mountain vineyards.

Vignola is a town of extraordinary character, known as the "City of Cherries" for its prized durone and moretta varieties, but also as a place of architectural genius — home to the Barozzi Palace and its famous self-supporting helical staircase designed by Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola, the great 16th-century Mannerist architect. The same spirit of precision, balance, and bold innovation that defined Jacopo's architecture seems to animate Alberto's winemaking: a commitment to doing one thing, and doing it with absolute mastery. Where the architect defined the five orders of classical architecture, the winemaker defines a single wine of radical simplicity and profound authenticity.

The Barozzi estate is small in scale but vast in intention. Alberto tends high-altitude vineyards in the Modena Apennines, where the cool mountain climate, the steep slopes, and the unique soil composition create conditions unlike anywhere else in Emilia-Romagna. The family's long history of farming in this area has given Alberto an intimate knowledge of the land — of which parcels catch the morning sun, which are sheltered from the wind, where the soil is deepest and where it is most stony. This is not abstract terroir; it is lived terroir, passed down through three generations of hands in the dirt.

Alberto's decision to focus on a single grape — Trebbiano di Spagna, also known as Trebbiano Modenese — and a single method — méthode ancestrale pétillant naturel — is not a limitation but a liberation. By narrowing his focus, he has achieved a depth of understanding and expression that broader portfolios cannot match. This is an ancient, local variety unrelated to the more common Trebbiano Toscano, a grape that has grown in these hills for centuries and carries the genetic memory of the Modena Apennines in its DNA. Alberto does not seek to transform it into something international or fashionable; he seeks to let it speak, clearly and honestly, of where it grows.

At Barozzi, the cellar philosophy is one of absolute minimal intervention — not as a posture, but as a practice rooted in tradition and refined by Alberto’s intimate knowledge of his grape and his place. The estate produces a single wine: Sui Lieviti, a pétillant naturel made from 100% Trebbiano di Spagna using the méthode ancestrale. This is the oldest known method of making sparkling wine — a single fermentation process where the wine is bottled before fermentation is complete, trapping the naturally produced carbon dioxide in the bottle to create gentle, authentic bubbles. No second fermentation, no added yeast, no added sugar, no dosage, no disgorgement. The result is a wine that is alive, cloudy, and profoundly natural — a rustic, vibrant expression of Trebbiano di Spagna and the Modena Apennines.

The techniques are demanding, traditional, and deeply personal:

Harvest & Selection: All grapes are meticulously hand-harvested from the estate's organic, high-altitude vineyards. Alberto monitors the vineyard daily in the weeks leading up to harvest, tasting berries and waiting for the moment when phenolic ripeness, sugar concentration, and acid balance align perfectly for the méthode ancestrale. The harvest is selective and careful — only the finest bunches are chosen, and they are transported quickly to the cellar to preserve freshness. The manual harvest allows for rigorous selection in the field, ensuring that only the healthiest, most concentrated fruit enters the fermentation vessel.

Pressing & Primary Fermentation: The grapes are gently pressed to extract the must while preserving the indigenous yeasts naturally present on the skins. The must begins primary alcoholic fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks — the only concession to modernity in an otherwise ancient process. As the fermentation progresses, Alberto monitors the sugar levels, the temperature, and the yeast activity with obsessive attention. The key to the méthode ancestrale is timing: the wine must be bottled when enough sugar remains to fuel the completion of fermentation in the bottle, but not so much that the pressure becomes dangerous or the wine becomes overly sweet.

Bottling & Refermentation: When the moment is right — a decision made by taste, intuition, and experience rather than formula — the partially fermented wine is bottled and sealed under a crown cap. No filtering, no fining, no added yeast, no added sugar. Everything needed for the second phase of fermentation is already naturally present in the wine: the indigenous yeasts, the residual sugars, the minerals from the soil. As the temperature rises in the bottle, the yeasts reawaken and consume the remaining sugars, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide. Because the bottle is hermetically sealed, the CO₂ cannot escape and dissolves into the wine, creating the gentle, natural effervescence that defines pétillant naturel.

"Sui Lieviti" — On the Lees: The Sui Lieviti is Barozzi's sole wine — and it is a wine of extraordinary character and authenticity. The name means "on the lees," referring to the dead yeast cells that remain in the bottle after fermentation is complete. Unlike Champagne or other traditional-method sparkling wines, the Sui Lieviti is not disgorged — the yeast sediment remains in the bottle, giving the wine its characteristic cloudiness and contributing to its complex, savory flavor profile. The lees are not a defect; they are a defining feature — edible, nutritious, and rich in substances that add depth and texture to the wine.

In the glass, the Sui Lieviti is slightly cloudy — hazy, alive, unfiltered. The nose is a vibrant mix of bright acidity, floral notes, and a distinct savory, almost bread-like quality from the lees contact. There are notes of white flowers, green apple, citrus zest, wild herbs, and a subtle mineral salinity that speaks of the limestone soils of the Modena Apennines. The palate is crisp and refreshing, with gentle, creamy bubbles that are less aggressive than Champagne — 2.5 to 3 atmospheres of pressure rather than 5 to 7. The finish is long, savory, and slightly yeasty, inviting another sip. It is a wine of rustic charm and profound authenticity — a wine that tastes of its place, its method, and the hands that made it.

Serving & Enjoyment: The Sui Lieviti is bottled with a crown cap, like a beer bottle — a practical choice for the méthode ancestrale that also signals its informal, approachable character. When serving, one can choose to pour slowly, leaving the sediment in the bottle for a clearer glass, or to shake the bottle gently to put the lees back into suspension and enjoy the wine in its full, cloudy glory. Both approaches are valid; both reveal different facets of the wine's personality. Serve well chilled at 8–10°C as an aperitif, with light appetizers, seafood, or simply on its own as a celebration of natural winemaking at its most honest.