Cellatica is a small municipality on the hills just north-west of Brescia, on the edge of Franciacorta. Its very name tells of its calling: it comes from the Latin cella vinaria, the wine cellar. The appellation was recognised in 1968 and is tiny: about 5 hectares of vineyard and 200 hectolitres of wine. Next to neighbouring Franciacorta, famous for its bubbles, Cellatica keeps a red of the Brescia tradition.
A Brescia blend
Cellatica is a multi-grape red with proportions set by the regulations: at least 30% Barbera, at least 30% Marzemino, called Berzemino here, at least 10% Schiava Gentile and at least 10% Incrocio Terzi no. 1, a cross between Barbera and Cabernet Franc bred in the province of Brescia itself. Up to 10% may come from other red grapes. Minimum alcohol is 11.5%.
The Rosso is a wine to drink young; the Superiore ages for about 11 months and cannot be released before 30 September of the year after the harvest. In the glass it is ruby, with aromas of cherry, small red fruits, violet and a spicy note; on the palate it is fresh, with soft tannins.
Five centuries of mentions
The first literary references to Cellatica wine date from the sixteenth century. The Benedictine friar Teofilo Folengo, one of the founding fathers of Italian food writing, mentions it in his Macaronic poems alongside "mangiaguerra" and the vernaccia of Volta. At the end of the same century Andrea Bacci, physician to Pope Sixtus V, wrote that the Brescia area surpassed the rest of the Po plain in the fertility of every fruit, "but especially in wines".
At the table
Cellatica goes with first courses, mushroom risotto, cured meats, red meat and grilled dishes, and is served between 16 and 18 degrees. To discover the other wines of eastern Lombardy, to the south on Lake Garda there is the white Lugana.
