The Fontodi Estate is a bio-dynamic and organic vineyard located in Panzano in Chianti. As part of their bio-dynamic practices, the estate bottles wine only after a new moon cycle begins.
Earlier this month, I visited the Fontodi estate to taste their recent releases and tour the facilities. Giovanni Manetti was as charming and welcoming as always. It was good to see him again. His assistant lead us on a tour of the estate that culminated in the wine cellar. We were fortunate that they were bottling their 2014 Chianti Classico as they typically only bottle once per month.
Below is a video of the bottling operation. On the left of the machine, the bottles enter and are cleaned with a blast of inert nitrogen gas. As the bottles move across, they are filled with wine and then topped with an additional blast of nitrogen gas. Finally, they are corked and removed from the belt. Midway through the video you can see the corks coming into the machine from the top.
Labeling and capsuling take place on a different machine. Click the link below for the video.
Bottling Chianti Classico 2014 at Fontodi
~ In the center of this image you can see the bottle being lifted to be filled with wine. ~
~ In this image, you can see a bottle that has just been corked ~
Salute e buon fine settimana.
