Lago di Bolsena, Lazio

While we were visiting Cantina Ortaccio in the fall of 2021, it was mid harvest time. Just as we finished our post-lunch espressos we heard some shouting and a small vineyard truck stacked with cartons of grapes pulled up the impossibly steep "driveway" to the cellar door.

This was our introduction to the young and enthusiastic Daniele Fuso, right hand of Massimo and Patrizia and the proud founder of his own new winery project called Cantina Pulaio.

For the next hour or so we all pitched in, unloading Daniele's grapes from the truck and watching as they carefully destemmed the fruit and loaded it bucket by bucket into the fermenter, Daniele perched on a ladder. Massimo had told us about this friend and young helper of his and we were lucky enough that day to meet Daniele and thus hopefully begin a serendipitous collaboration with him as well...9 months later and Daniele's first wines are here and we're so happy to share them with you!

Daniele comes from a lineage of sharecroppers in a small town in Umbria called Allerona Scalo. His grandfather and uncle worked the land, and had a small vineyard to satisfy their need for good table wine year-round. Now, in their advanced age, they have entrusted Daniele with this responsibility, and thus his passion for winemaking was born.

His first vintage he made only 35 demijohns of wine for just himself, family and friends. It was a skin-macerated white wine, just like his grandfather used to make. Today, he rents vines in 18 different plots, totally about 5 hectares.

Daniele is working just land located in Orvieto, about 40 mins away on the other side of Lago di Bolsena, and then making the wine at Cantina Ortaccio (though he is working towards having his own cellar). The terroir on that side is more tufo limestone as well as clay and sand. So even though the grape varieties are largely the same as in Bolsena, the style of wines is completely different...more stout and punchy in general with lots of saltiness and mineral tones.