Martina, Parma and Pinot Nero 💜

I’m a very go-with-the-flow type traveler. Little to no planning. Spontaneity calls the shots. I do, however, make a prior wine bar sweep of the area, and arm myself with a list of names within walking distance from wherever my bed is that night. And if serendipity is on your side, as it has so often been for me in Europe, you could run into a badass winemaker too! 

I first bonded with Marco, owner of Enoteca Tabarro, over our boy Roberto Henriquez. We gushed over Chilean wines, and then he gave me a taste of a local winemaker’s juice that happened to be right outside. I sipped this very unique wine and proceeded to go stand in front of her and wait until she finished a sentence with a friend. They looked at me and I went for it. I needed to know more.  

Martina comes from a long line of grape growers and winemakers in Colli Piacentini in the western part of Emilia-Romagna. She and her mother, Lodovica, are Lusentivini Wines. Their story is so poetically told on their website that I won’t repeat it here, but I highly recommend you check out lusentivini.com. 

Martina is behind their more “experimental” wines, her style self-described as “contemporary, pop, and evokes the image of sipping a fresh bottle by the sea at sunset, surrounded by happy friends and an infectious soundtrack.” We weren’t by the sea, but after a night in Parma with beautiful souls and a banjo, I got it. It was Thanksgiving and thanks to Sofia, I ended up missing my fancy “if-I-can’t-be-with-friends-and-family-I’ll-treat-myself-tonight” dinner reservation to blind taste wines, laugh, and live la dolce vita. Sofia then hooked me up with a table at Officina Alimentare Dedicata, an amazing spot that deserves its own post. I had revelations there, pages on flavor and friendship filled my notebook.

Ok, so what was this sip that drove me to insert myself within a group I was never asked to join? 

Vinto, a Pinot Nero that I took no notes on, because again, after one sip, I went straight to the source to talk it out. Pinot Noir from vines that Martina’s grandfather brought back from his time in Champagne, France, and planted. During harvest, the first pass goes to her mother’s line of thought, to their traditional method Pinot Nero Pas Dose which needs acidity and spends 48 months on the lees. The second pass, around mid-October, when the grapes are round and ripe, Vinto starts to take life…I managed to note “P. Nero from winemaker here. Slutty cherries in the mouth with some cheese.”

But then came more wines, lots of good times, and ended with a me-leaving-my-phone-at-the-karaoke-bar type situation. Fortunately, they not only kept my phone but also had it fully charged when I went back to pick it up. Unfortunately, I missed a potential visit with Martina because I had no way of contacting her. È così la vita. Even more fortunate, she’s coming to NYC next month to rep at VinNatur NYC and I can’t wait to meet back up and continue this journey! 

Ok, so also no notes on the other two wines, but I Purple Mouthed approve both. I actually called the Pomerol a French Cab. Franc, so I don’t feel tooooo bad about it. Also, here’s to Bukowski. 

Long before I became ‘rich and famous’ I just sat round drinking wine and staring at walls. 

-Charles Bukowski