Photo of Costantino Charrère of Les Cretes
I am completely excited about a new wine website I found the other day. A man named Mauro Fermariello, an Italian scientific photographer, has dedicated a beautiful website to Italian wineries called Winestories. In his own words, “this site is about a blog about wine, vines and winemakers, getting away from it all, hunting down a good cheese, relaxing on a farm, living the real italian experience.”
Campania’s Ciro Picariello
As you can see in these sample photographs borrowed from his website, Mauro is an extremely talented photographer. More importantly, he is such a wonderful advocate for Italian wine. Stories are the essence of Italian wine culture, especially because the revolve around the people who make the wine. As Mauro’s photography and writing proves, there is something moving and emotional about the people in Italy who farm the land and turn grapes into wine. We are so fortunate to have one more talented curator for the people and stories behind the wines and vines of Italy.
Federica Nardella in the vineyard.
It is the humanity behind the agriculture that bewitches us a wine drinkers. Wine is so much less interesting without understanding the people who cultivate the land and coax the wine into the bottle. The poetry (especially for Italian wine) lies somewhere between the natural beauty found in all forms of agriculture, and the deep-rooted Italian passion for tradition and family heritage. I love that an artist like Mauro Fermariello has found a way to convey these people’s stories through images and writing. This work is the preservation of wine history, and it is an important part of safe-guarding of Italian wine’s future. Bravo!