The Process

Via Vecchia is traditional and unique in its winemaking production. Well, we say that, but we have been told by Slow Foods in Italy that there are reportedly five other wineries like us in Italy.

So, what's unique?

For one, we exclusively use grapes and refuse to make wine from juice concentrates. Secondly, we use an old Tuscan technique that allows us to make wine without adding the coloring, flavorings, oak juices/additives, chemicals to filter and "polish" our wine, and adjust the smell, acidity, sugars and alcohol. We even dare to use the yeast that comes in on the grape skins rather than kill it off and use a commercial yeast that's engineered to yield certain characteristics in our wine.

For filtration of wine, we rely on sedimentation and the Moon. We observe phases of the moon for various activities, including when to transfer the bottle half way through secondary fermentation.

We believe that "a well treated wine is an untreated wine." You will taste the difference with our wines. You will not be able to drink others after sticking with our wine for a while.

Our greatest compliment is hearing our customers tell us how they can enjoy drinking true wine again.

Because we're committed to making wines the old way, our customers appreciate us. They tell us that they had not been able to enjoy red wine, either because they had formed allergic reactions to wine or simply because many reds have been "just over the top," "tasted of oak," or "difficult to drink and relax with."

Their appreciation is no small thing. We know they leave standard wines to taste and feel the difference in ours.

"The winemaker should allow nature to follow its own course as much as possible."

Our Credo

To enable our customers to receive and serve only the very best wines, Via Vecchia will always follow passionately the following Credo:

Yeasts
We rely on the naturally-occurring yeasts in the grape, preserving the grape's true character. We will not use lab-created yeasts to manufacture a specific taste.

Sulfites
We rely on the lees present in the wine to act as a natural anti-oxidant. We will not use sulfites to kill naturally-occurring yeast. We will sulfite at the beginning of barrel ageing at only 50-80ppm (organic standard 100ppm).

Filtering
We rely on the lees in our wine and the phases of the moon to naturally settle out material over time. We will not chemically filter our wine.

Coloring
We will not add color (natural or manufactured), or enzymes to our wines. We rely on the nature of the varietal, personal judgment, and technique to extract color.

Scent
We do not adjust the scent of our wines.

Alcohol
We do not add other alcohol, such as port, to our wines.

Aging
We will age all of our wines for a minimum of one year in neutral French oak barrels and/or food-grade breathable tanks for minimal oak taste. We will not add oak chips, oak dust, or oak staves.