Daniele Manini, agronomist of the historic Winery Doria the Montalto Pavese. She loves to be described as one who follows to quote his own words,  "The branch cattle-uva-come",  Master of Wine Cellar. Passionate promoter of the recovery of the historical grape varieties and winemaking techniques to search in the history and traditions of the land.

An honor and a pleasure to know ...

•  Chi è Daniele Manini?

A man who lives life in the pursuit of serenity and balance with nature, which finds in the manipulation of matter grapes, energy and fulfillment, with the hope of those who tasted the thrill 'arte effimera to produce wine.

• Daniele, What prompted you to choose the right land?

The case ... After a sensational season in the regular courses of the Air Force of Pozzuoli and particularly in the magnificent "Corso Hawk IV", I found myself re-program my life. He chose my instincts supported previous experience, and unconditional love for all of nature ... In the end a different way to put at the service of one's own existence.

• You call yourself Cellar Master. Can you explain better the differences in this role than traditional figures?

The completeness of the role. The winemaker is understood in the traditional way knows the wine but not deep into the cellar and the vineyard, not interested in reception, marketing and business management.

There is adequate for a professional winemaker who although often experienced manipulator of food,  does not find suitable placement in the professional world except as a farm worker.

By law, so anyone can do the cellar although virtually no one can afford to be in the basement unqualified personnel. The agronomist proper, see the terroir and vineyard but in essence no experience in the valley, often starting from the meaning of wine grapes.

There is no other figure except the "Cellar Master"Together with the property, assuming the role of "facilitator and communicator." He welcomes wine tourists as if it were the one stop shop in places where the departments of tourism and the environment do not have principals.

For the economic-management is the key figure for workplace safety, l’Haccp, la Iso 9000, process control and analytical control. It analyzes and manages the flow of incoming costs and product management in output, almost as guarantor of the company's quality is head to the product management. This applies to small and medium-sized. It is no coincidence that often are the owners conductors to perform multiple roles at the same time,  due to the fact that there is such a professional in Italy.

• Your homeland is Viterbo. How did you get in Oltrepà Pavese?  Can you describe your experience in this area over the years lived here?

I arrived in 1998 precisely to calibrate the ISO 9000.  Through the instrument Iso appropriate I reprogrammed the company for the times to come and for the long run. I was then to take responsibility for the direction of the cellar, and to build me, almost as prototype, the complex function and satisfying the "Master of the cellar".

This territory for many years was an unknown entity because all my energy was lowered to support its business and the acquisition of professional. Closed in my world, looking for the best way for the company and for me Doria, almost a long pregnancy wine.

• Are you a proponent of recovery, where possible, the historical tradition of viticulture. One example is the use of chestnut barrels Italian. How do you rate your experience the results of this?

Interesting and necessary ... I consider archeoenologia or better enoarcheologia. I firmly believe that if you do not bring out the past and it makes it clear (wine school has no specific courses in this regard) you can not talk about Italian wine tradition.

The new recruits how they can get a feel of what the wine, as cultural heritage and essence of Italian food and wine, if they find only techniques and technicalities in oenology courses. And 'as if an artist did not study art history. Wine is art ... I am not able to view it as a technological product or drink.

• I often ask this question and I would also like your opinion. In Italy there are many small producers. I often hear industry experts argue that these small businesses, mostly unable to bear the costs of the technology, can not make quality wines. What do you think?

Michelangelo had only a chisel and a hammer ... Knowledge is synonymous with quality and is always perfectible until life do us part by our passion: wine.

• It 'a difficult time for viticulture. If you were face to face with the Minister of Agriculture, what steps would you ask her to support the immediate?

Respect. I would like to acknowledge the role of guardian of the environment because the system environment is fragile Italian, and always protected by those who make their daily maintenance of the beautiful Italian landscape.

I wish the producer of the wine, the real one that has never hearing in Roman salons, what is everyday in the territory and that alone manages the entire supply chain grape-vine-wine assuming all risks, "Generator" of wealth for the country system, and that because of his magnificent work in management have facilitated quell'IVA that D'Alema has taken away oblivious to the social and environmental role, that the founding fathers of the Italian Republic had attributed to the agricultural classes, often declassified laborer in the classroom often enriched ex-Italian agricultural.

• For a young man who wants to invest their energy and passion in this area, both as a producer and engineer, what would you recommend to start?

Carefully assess personal resources, I mean those energy, and many use them ... Listen harshly critical but always with humility and who has more experience, Always ask yourself "in continuous training" compared to wine and its contours.

Must live with the knowledge that is often misunderstood by a world that revolves around wine and living in a broth made of true and false realities, true experiences and alleged, knowledge and beliefs often, and many lies that create a mix of moods, and then, you would need a super psychopathologist.

In case decides to address them all together, who lives with serene otherness his personal experience wine making ...

“Dear Daniel… I remember one evening when, dinner together at Montalto Pavese, I saw him take his beautiful little girl in her arms. The stood up and said to me,: “View Cynthia, I want her to grow up learning to get excited…”. I am still moved when our thoughts turn to that image…  If my adventure would serve just to know people well, I know for a fact that my way is right, because as I say,  There are many ways to get rich, and this for me, is the best…”

 I Doria di Montalto… non so, ma detto così mi sembra quasi di raccontare la storia di una famiglia medioevale… di castelli, di sfide e di duelli!

E qui scatta la molla… Si, perché dovete sapere che amo molto la storia, and in particular I love everything that has a lived experience to tell. When I see antiques in my wanderings it is as if I were magnetized, and if anyone is with me hear me say: "Wait a minute I have to look ..." Not for nothing at home I surround myself with old books, candelabra, I read, spade, sabers and knives. Then when I enter the historic houses the matter gets really serious. It is as if you were experiencing a dejà vu , as if I were going home ... I only know that one day when you come in, come on Doria Montalto that atmosphere enveloped me ...

You should know that the Doria winery started its business in 1800. Pietro Doria, telegraph operator during the Second World War and survived the extermination of the Acqui Division in Kefalonia, once he returned from captivity he gave new impetus to the business. They followed him until 1996, the sons Bruno and Adriano. After that the reins passed into the hands of Andrew and David,  led by their mother Giuseppina Sassella Doria.

I decided to arrange a meeting for a visit. I was late as usual ... Despite my best efforts I can never be on time! Along the way, the landscapes caught my attention in particular, enough to stop and get out of the car to fully enjoy the beauty.

As Luigi Veronelli said in an article in the Corriere del 2003: “It is a territory which must be discovered slowly, and not only for the wine vocation ... "

At the entrance, dear Daniele Manini met me, agronomist of the company, with whom I spent an entire afternoon talking. The thought still amuses me, because Mario Maffi well known winemaker in Oltrepò Pavese, he had announced that it would be a good fight between the two of us ... Yes, fight who talked the most! Well I called him at the end of the evening, I had won!

You must know that Daniele had started his career as a pilot in aeronautics. It was a vision problem that stopped him, and that forced him to question his life. It was then that he turned to the Faculty of Agriculture of Viterbo, which soon led him to start his happy collaboration with the Doria family. He is a great supporter of the recovery of historical vines and cellar techniques to be sought in the history and traditions of the territory. It is also defined as the following figure, to quote his own words,  "The branch cattle-uva-come",  the Cellar Master. And it is precisely this thought of his that led him to give continuity to the tradition of the Cantina Doria. With him the “historical” Barbera raised in Italian chestnut barrels was made.  And this experimentation of his has led a famous “French tonnellerie” to take an interest, enough to entrust to some teachers the evaluation of the results that will obtain.

I look at my hills and often sip their wine so as not to doubt my teachers ... I look at the Pavia hills each time, moved, that are my sweet horizon of vine leaves. The Po land undulates like an immense sea fringed in profiles familiar to me from childhood. The waves are intense green, and gradually they become light blue violets until they become confused, with the sky ...

Giovanni Luigi Brera, the Gioânn, born on 8 September 1919 and San Zenone Po (Pv)