Springtime has finally come - to tell the truth, springtime arrived some weeks ago - and this period of the year always represents a significative moment for every winery of the northern hemisphere of our planet. In fact it is right in this season that wines produced in recent harvests are being released and in particular white wines and red wines destined to an immediate consumption. The results of the new vintage is always anticipated by the releasing of nouveau wines in November, an event which is not always reliable for assessing the wines produced with “canonical” methods and released for consumption, more or less, with the arrive of springtime. It is not by chance that right in springtime and in the month of November is concentrated the majority of wine fair trades all over the world.

 This is probably the best period, just like summertime, for appreciating new wines and in particular whites. Like we said so many times, white wines truly suitable for the aging in bottle are very few and most of the times one ends up to uncork a white wine when it lost its best characteristics. This is particularly true for all those whites which have been fermented and aged in inert containers, such as stainless steel or concrete, and therefore purposely created with the explicit aim of offering qualities of freshness and youth. Wines having fresh aromas of flowers and fruits, fragrant and pleasing, capable of giving their best in their best time which certainly is represented by youth. So, is there a better period than this to take advantage of this opportunity? With the coming of warm days it will certainly be pleasurable to have some aromatic and crisp wine in the glass which will certainly make joyous both meals and leisure moments.

 Moreover, because of the non truly enthusiastic result of vintage 2002, where few areas was capable of giving wines worth of remarkable quality, the curiosity to know and see how the last year will do - the 2003 - will certainly contribute for the preference of the new wines. Premises seem to be certainly promising, ready to deny the non truly good vintage 2002, in which many wineries have even decided not to release their wines, in particular red wines. This certainly is a remarkable behavior which is worth of esteem, first of all for the respect and loyalty these producers shown for their consumers and, last but not the least, even for keeping the prestige and the qualitative level of their best wines. Other wineries, in order not to completely compromise the work of the year 2002, have decided to lowering the class of their best wines, while realizing that year did not contribute to have wines that could worthily represent them, and therefore they decided to sell those wines at lower prices and reclassified with different names or in categories belonging to lower appellations. No matter of what it was, this certainly is an appreciable behavior which shows respect and honesty for their consumers.

 What about red wines? The wines to be drunk young and aged for few months are usually released for consumption with the arrive of springtime, just like for whites, whereas for appreciating reserves - including the ones of the year 2002 - it is to be waited one more month - June usually represents the releasing of such wines - or probably the end of summertime and the beginning of autumn. In other words, full bodied and alcoholic wines which announce the end of the warm season and welcome the cold one, or better to say, less torrid. However the arrive of the warm season - announced by the arrive of springtime - is happily accompanied by those young and light red wines, which are well suitable for the service at more summertime and cool temperatures. Even rose wines find in the warm season their best moment: released for the consumption with the arrive of springtime, they are happily appreciable at cool temperatures and therefore extremely pleasing - aromatic and agreeable - in this moment of thoughtless youth.

 The end of wintertime and the beginning of the mild season is also the moment in which takes place the last phase of the production of classic method sparkling wines: disgorgement. After a short and proper period of aging which follows the adding of the so called liqueur d'expédition - or dosage - classic method sparkling wines are ready to meet - as well as pleasing - the hot days of summertime. What is better than a nice glass of classic method sparkling wine, cool, crisp, pleasing and joyous, to please a good summertime meal or leisure moments spent to the shadow of the heat of sun? Of course sparkling wines produced with the Charmat method are not to be forgotten, these wines are widely used, not only drunk alone, but also as a base ingredient for the hundreds blended drinks in which both wine and sparkling wines represent a fundamental component. Moreover it is right during warm seasons which is particularly liked the aperitif, a drink which finds in sparkling wines - both classic method and Charmat - excellent and good allies. However the too much frequent habit of serving sparkling wines as aperitifs should not be exaggerated because at the end this could make people believe - and this is probably happened already - this is their main role and it certainly is not like that. It must not be forgotten their brilliant role in the table for the matching of a meal, something that sparkling wines can do magnificently well.

 In short, there is enough to meet every taste and every occasion. The arrive of the warm season always finds every year the lovers of the beverage of Bacchus with a glass in the hand and a providential corkscrew in the other, ready to enjoy the results of the new vintage. We certainly wish the 2003, in which many hope and believe to be a good one, will be capable to let us forget the 2002, which certainly was not rich and generous like the 2001 but it was however capable of giving some, and certainly not many, remarkable bottles. Like always the verdict will be the one expressed by the judgment and the test of the glass, sometimes harsh and however inevitable, with the hope that the 2003 will be capable of giving us new and brilliant emotions. It is however important to remember that behind, or better to say, inside every bottle of wine there are the efforts and passions of men and women who believe in their job and in the dream of making the millenary beverage of Bacchus, who try every year to produce the best they can in the respect of what nature, in everything and for everything, was capable to offer them year after year.

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