Merlot Pietra IGT 2021 – Piera 1899

Beginning in 1899, at the Padua estate, Piera’s story has been passed down through the family from generation to generation, from father to daughter.
Founded by her grandfather Giovanni, developed by her father Mario, Piera 1899 owes its reputation both in Italy and abroad to Piera Martellozzo, who, with her pioneering, ahead-of-her-times spirit, led the winery to its primary role in the Italian wine scenario with talent, frequently anticipating trends and seeking out its own path to quality.
The recognised quality of Piera 1899 wines is the result of everyday hard work founded on respect for the land and its traditions.
Since the 1990s thorough reassessment work on then little known native vines was done with varieties such as Raboso del Piave and Ribolla Gialla. In 1998 the first organic wine range was launched. Since the noughties an ever growing Prosecco production has been supplemented by new sparkling wines such as Muller Thurgau, Traminer and Moscato.

Merlot

For long considered the junior partner in the great Bordeaux duo of grape varieties, Merlot has achieved growing popularity in the last decade of the 20th century thanks to the cult worship of Pomerols and Saint Emilions in Bordeaux as well as a growing taste for its lusciously plummy and flavoursome early-drinking delights in countries such as Chile and California.
Merlot ripens earlier and more easily than Cabernet Sauvignon, hence its popularity in France and in northern Italy. It is widely planted in eastern Europe, but outside France, it is at its most serious in California, where it has become one of the ‘hottest’ varieties. It is also extensively grown in Chile, where it produces excellent value, supple-textured reds, and, increasingly in Australia and New Zealand.
Italy has also produced Pomerol-like Merlot-based wines, to great acclaim from critics and consumers. The variety plays a key role in the Bolgheri DOC or Toscana IGT blends – commonly known as the Super Tuscans – for which producers such as Ornellaia and Antinori have gained worldwide acclaim.