Ahem.........after sampling and bottling our "home-made"
I thought it best to post this before me forgets!!!!
Freisa, a typical wine of the Turin Hills of Chieri, is made from a vine bearing the same name. Grown in this area for centuries, it can be traced back to 1600 thanks to Giovan Battista Croce, jeweller of the Duke of Torino, who mentioned it in his writings. The Count of Rovasenda wrote, "One is obliged to admit that the lands of Freisa are well-stocked with genuine products, prestigious for their unquestionable hardiness, and for their intrinsic value. It is common knowledge how rustic and
fertile its vines are, extensively grown, they are used to make an exceptional product". As it is particularly resistant to late frosts, mildew, oidium and has proven to be fertile and robust, the Freisa vine is has been grown all over Piedmont, which has probably lead to it being undervalued, often seen as only a complementary wine used to deepen the colour of others. Over the centuries there have even been variations in its spelling, Fresa, Fresia, Freisa, but the most prevailing one has been Freisa, with the interposition of the i coming from the Piedmontese dialect, in fact, vine specialists do agree that the origins of this vine definitely rest in Piedmont.
The wine, Freisa di Chieri is grown in these rural districts Chieri, Pino Torinese, Pecetto Torinese, Baldissero Torinese, Andezeno, Arignano, Pavarolo, Marentino, Moriondo Torinese, Mombello Torinese, Montaldo Torinese and Riva near Chieri (in the Province of Torino), over a surface registering 100 hectares in the year 2000 when nearly 2.800 hectolitres of wine were made. The soil that holds the vines is quite a mixture, certain zones are full of clay and others are brimming with limestone. Only grapes from the Freisa vine can be used, the maximum grape harvest is set at 80 quintals per hectare, 70% is then authorised to be turned into wine. This wine, Freisa di Chieri, has two varieties: one dry and one slightly sweet. The dry Freisa, minimum alcohol strength 11%, has a soft ruby red colour, an elegant bouquet full of raspberries and violets, it has a dry, delicately bitter taste which smoothes out when aged. The sweet Freisa has a treated minimum alcohol strength of 7% and a total not less than 11%, its colour is a delicate ruby red, and its bouquet very palatable with just a hint of raspberry, sweet and aromatic in the mouth. If it has a minimum alcohol strength of 11,5% and if it is aged until the 1st November of the year following the harvest, then a bottle of Freisa di Chieri can add to its label the classification "superiore" (superior).
The sparkling Freisa di Chieri, whose serving temperature in winter months is 20?C and in summer 14?C, is a wine which goes well with all dishes, but is simply ideal with local hot and cold starters, Piedmont's mixed fry and bagna cauda. The Freisa di Chieri superior, at a temperature of 20?C, is the perfect partner for Piedmont's stews and poultry dishes. Select the sweet variety, to be served at a temperature of 10?C, to accompany dried fruits and baked cakes. A bottle normally costs between 5.000 and 9.000 Lira.
Being such a readily drinkable wine, to get maximum freshness and fruity notes, you have to purchase the most recent year on sale of Freisa di Chieri, just like many members of the Juventus football team does, they are enthusiastic and faithful drinkers of this Piedmontese wine.
