Gran Maestro
Cielo & Terra is a family-owned wine company founded in 1908. The 4th generation of the Cielo family manages the now very large wine company, which is also a cooperative of more than 2,000 small winegrowers. Here, grapes enter the winery from more than 4,000 hectares of land, with a total annual production of approximately 30 million bottles. 60% of the products are exported every year. “Let’s raise our glasses to the sky and celebrate the most delicious fruit on earth!” This is the motto of Cielo & Terra, an Italian winery dedicated to producing wines that express the essence of Italy’s rich wine world. Cielo wines are the result of a friendly atmosphere and a high level of trust between the collaborating winemakers, who have gained extensive experience around the world and use it to best represent their respective terroirs. The winery's roots are in northern Italy, with most of its vineyards in the hills of Berici. The Gran Maestro wine, on the other hand, comes from Puglia and is an important part of Cielo and is one of the winery's most famous wines. Ciela & Terra is also committed to converting many hectares of land to sustainable production and organic cultivation of grapes.
The winery chooses to use the appassimento vinification technique. The grapes are usually dried 2 months before pressing/vinification. During the entire process, care is required. It is very important not to damage the grapes before the drying process. The entire grape bunch is carefully placed In the drying chamber, temperature and humidity are strictly controlled so the sugar content of the grapes is high enough to give the finished wine a high alcohol content as well as a sweet aromatic taste.
Fiano
This is one of the wine grape varieties. It is a white grape variety, but the yield is very low. It was originally grown in Campania and Sicily in southern Italy. Fiano can produce a full-bodied white wine with a delicate taste. The wine exudes a rich floral aroma, with a rich fruity aroma and smoky minerality. It also contains the aroma and flavor of pear and almond. The best quality The wine has outstanding richness and complexity. Wine expert Jancis Robinson has said that wines made from Fiano grapes have the potential to age. Fiano wines usually have strong floral aromas and honey sweetness when young, but become spicy and nutty as they age. The traditional Italian Fiano wine has a typical golden straw color, a very fruity and spicy aroma, and overflowing flavors of honey and nuts.
Appasimento
The Appassimeto winemaking technique involves harvesting healthy, ripe grapes and placing the bunches either on mats in the sun (common in the south) or on racks in a well-ventilated room (called a frutti). Air dry, drying time can take anywhere from a few weeks to 6 months depending on climate conditions and style. This causes the grapes to lose approximately 30% or more of their water content, allowing the sugars and flavors to be concentrated. Italy has a long tradition of using dry grape sour wine, which has a history of more than 3,000 years. Because the consistently dry autumn prevents noble rot from forming. This technique originated in Veneto and is available in both white and red grape varieties. The grapes are harvested as early as possible after ripeness to ensure dryness; in addition, this allows the grapes to maintain sufficient acidity.
Grapes made with Appassimeto must be picked by hand to ensure the quality of the grapes. The winery harvests grapes in October every year and tries to select grape clusters with sparse grape grains to reduce the chance of deterioration due to lack of air circulation during long-term air drying. The whole bunch of grapes will be placed in a well-ventilated cabin to dry naturally. The drying time depends on the maturity of the grapes, generally ranging from 30 to 120 days. During the drying process, 35-50% of the water in the grapes will be lost, so the sugars, aroma substances and polyphenols become more concentrated, giving the wine a rich aroma and flavor. After drying, the grapes will go through a series of normal winemaking processes (stemming, pressing, fermentation) to make wine. (Regarding air drying, some wineries put the grapes in the air drying room to dry naturally, some wineries put the grapes in the air drying room and blow them dry with a hair dryer, and some wineries put the grapes on the roof to dry)
Taste: The nose has a strong fruity aroma of peach, pear, and passion fruit, accompanied by the aroma of small white flowers, almonds and nuts. The entrance has a round taste, balanced acidity, and a slightly long aftertaste.
