{"id":1680,"date":"2016-01-20T17:28:01","date_gmt":"2016-01-20T17:28:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev.northberkeleyimports.com\/?post_type=project&p=1680"},"modified":"2025-04-30T00:45:06","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T00:45:06","slug":"azienda-agricola-durin","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/www.northberkeleyimports.com\/wordpress\/project\/azienda-agricola-durin\/","title":{"rendered":"Azienda Agricola Durin"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_fullwidth_header title=”Azienda Agricola Durin” subhead=”Ortovero | Liguria” text_orientation=”center” _builder_version=”4.16″ title_font_size=”50px” subhead_font_size=”20″ background_color=”rgba(255, 255, 255, 0)” background_image=”http:\/\/dev.northberkeleyimports.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/durin_header_liguria.jpg” global_colors_info=”{}” button_one_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_size__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_text_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_width__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_border_radius__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_letter_spacing__hover_enabled=”off” button_one_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off” button_two_bg_color__hover_enabled=”off”][\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row padding_mobile=”off” make_equal=”on” column_padding_mobile=”on” admin_label=”row” module_class=” et_pb_row_fullwidth” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#fcf4de” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”89%” width_tablet=”80%” width_phone=”” width_last_edited=”on|desktop” max_width=”89%” max_width_tablet=”80%” max_width_phone=”” max_width_last_edited=”on|desktop” make_fullwidth=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|2% ||2% ” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”USP” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”justified” custom_margin=”|2%||2%” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]\"durin_producer_antonio\"<\/a>On the winding road to the family farm of Azienda Agricola Durin<\/strong>, winemaker Antonio Basso has one hand on the wheel, and one out the window. \u201cThat one is mine,\u201d he says as we pass a small verdant patch of vines, bordered by peach trees. Another bend, another small vineyard, on rocky, dry slopes made for oxen, not tractors; in less than 15 minutes, he\u2019s pointed out no less than 15 different plots, each more inconvenient than the last.<\/p>\n

This is the inspired madness of vine growing in Liguria\u2014so much so that there are only a few dozen full-time producers in the entire region. Yet for those stubborn, inspired few, what Liguria can give is nothing less than extraordinary. Four generations of the Basso family have lived and worked in these mountains above the Mediterranean sea\u2014less than three miles away as the crow flies\u2014struggling with the elements to care for older vines grown in garden-sized plots more suitable for gnomes.<\/p>\n

Liguria\u2019s vibrant patchwork of vines, fruit trees and wild scrub has one particular star: Pigato. Originally from Greece, Pigato is believed to have been introduced to Liguria around the 1600s, and is a distant cousin of Vermentino. Its name comes from the word \u201cpighe,\u201d which in Ligurian dialect describes the ruddy spots that develop on the grape\u2019s skin.<\/p>\n

This family estate is unquestionably a pioneer in exploring the seemingly infinite potential of Pigato on these rocky slopes, not only through their selection of single-vineyard bottlings but also through sparkling wines, stored for years in the Grotto di Toirano, an ancient cave with near-perfect humidity and temperature for extended wine aging.
\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ padding_mobile=”off” make_equal=”on” admin_label=”row” module_class=” et_pb_row_fullwidth” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”89%” width_tablet=”80%” width_phone=”” width_last_edited=”on|desktop” max_width=”89%” max_width_tablet=”80%” max_width_phone=”” max_width_last_edited=”on|desktop” make_fullwidth=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_padding=”5%|5%|5%|5%” border_width_all=”1px” border_color_all=”#d46d32″ use_border_color=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

FARMING & WINEMAKING<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Basso family over generations has expanded their small holdings\u2014literally some 259 separate vineyards, most just a handful of vine rows\u2014in the plains around the village of Ortovero and coiled around the region\u2019s terraced and steep hillsides, cut over the ages by the Centa and Arroscia rivers.<\/p>\n

Vineyard altitude ranges from as low as 150 feet to as high as 1,400 feet; soils are equally varied, from dark, fertile patches to ruddy, iron-rich soils, to the \u201cterra bianca\u201d mix of white clay and sand.<\/p>\n

The valley channels the cooler winds that sweep south from Piedmont, moderating the summer\u2019s warmer temperatures; a boon for the cultivation of balanced white grape varieties. The family’s ‘Taverna’ vineyard, planted in the village of Onzo and exclusively to the Pigato grape, is a 17-acre plot and as such, is the largest in the region. Many of the estate\u2019s Pigato vines were planted by Antonio Basso\u2019s grandfather, and are now 70 to 80 years old.<\/p>\n

Harvest is as a rule by hand, and grapes are cared for as naturally as possible. In general, white grapes are macerated in tank for one day then pressed; juice is fermented on indigenous yeasts at low temperatures. Reds are fermented and aged in tank.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”WHITE WINES” _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”|on|||” text_text_color=”#ffffff” text_font_size=”16″ background_color=”#d46d32″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_layout=”dark” custom_padding=”2%|5%|2%|5%” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]WHITE WINES
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_toggle title=”Riviera Ligure di Ponente Pigato” admin_label=”Riviera Ligure di Ponente Pigato” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ title_font=”|on|||” title_font_size=”14″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_padding=”|5%||5%” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Pigato is considered the \u201cprince\u201d of Ligurian white wines, a coastal grape that is the natural pair with Mediterranean cuisine and fresh seafood. Originally from Greece, the Pigato grape made its way to Liguria in the 1600s, and is believed to be a cousin of the white grape Vermentino. Today it is almost exclusively associated with and cultivated along the Ligurian Riviera on the northwest coast of Italy, not far from the cliffs and wandering paths of Cinque Terre.<\/p>\n

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