Pieter Rosenthal of www.corkandbottle.co.uk on the Thierry Cabanne Scholarship.

Harpers Blog - Week 3: 
Pieter Rosenthal of www.corkandbottle.co.uk on the Thierry Cabanne Scholarship.

Why wine is different from washing powder.
Last week I was talking about wine in terms of a commodity that is to be traded regardless of our emotional attachment. The fact that I mentioned this emotional attachment is what in my mind sets wine, if not only wine, apart from things like washing powder. So why the attachment? Most people who have visited a wine producer on their holidays will know what I mean. The personal contact, the experience and hospitality, the gorgeous vistas, they all add up to something much more exciting than say, visiting the Persil factory. So when I have the opportunity to accompany Lindsay Talas (Buying Director) and Nikki Fletcher (General Manager) on a trip to Italy, I jump at the chance.

Production can be on a grand scale but it still manages to capture my imagination. And so we drive up to the grand winery that is Pasqua. The last time I was in Verona it rained incessantly and I was sitting on the hard stone steps of the roman arena waiting for the weather to improve so the opera could start. It was also a 1986 family holiday so my memories of it are somewhat shaky although I do remember the Italian word 'impermeabile' entered my vocabulary for the first time. Today it is dry, bright and the modern Pasqua winery on the outskirts of Verona is baking in just over 30 degree heat. We are welcomed by Carlo Pasqua, one of the three brothers running the family company. He shows us onto the terrace outside his first floor office which has gorgeous views over some of Pasqua's own vineyards.

Pasqua is a fairly recent addition to the Thierry's stable but is already proving its importance. They have a large portfolio of good quality Veneto wines and with a Masseria in Puglia, Pasqua also produces some interesting wines further south. Annual production is somewhere in the region of 17 million bottles so you could hardly describe it as small. Pasqua's motto; 'A Family Passion' shows that family values are very much at the heart, no matter the size of the business. The company is run by three brothers, Carlo, Umberto and Giorgio. During the meetings it becomes clear to me that although business is serious and tough, the passion for the Pasqua wines is overriding. I also get the impression that both the Thierry's and Pasqua teams view the relationship as a partnership committed to the long-term success of both partners and have a lot of mutual respect. The sense of family is continued as the next generation of Pasquas is starting to get involved. Carlotta, the daughter of Carlo runs the company's PR and Riccardo, Umberto's son is developing strategic projects for Pasqua.

The large tasting room overlooking the immaculate barrel cellar provides the setting for the tasting of 20 or so wines. And that doesn't even cover the entire portfolio, which includes own-label as well as impressive traditional Veronese wines under the Villa Borghetti label and the southern Italian Lapaccio wines. I would love to see more focus on these wines in the UK market as I find them consistently expressive and balanced, from the mineral Soave Classico to the juicy Valpolicella Classico and the lush Rosso Veneto IGT Passimento. During the tasting we are joined by Giovanni Nordera, oenologist and grandson of Natale, one of Pasqua's founders. He is now working on production control and product development and he proudly shows off their state of the art laboratory.

The evening is spent in a magical place, having dinner al fresco high above the river Adige at a place called Re Teodorico, housed in part of the ancient Castel San Pietro and named after the Visigoth king Theodoric. The views of Verona below us are mesmerising on this clear moonlit night. For a moment it is easy to forget that tomorrow morning it will be back to serious business again as we'll be discussing crucial three-year plans and strategy. Wouldn't you rather buy wine than washing powder though?

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