Source: Vine Street Imports
POGGIO ANIMA
Italy
Calling these bottlings weeknight wines belies the pedigree, power and panache behind Poggio Anima. Poggio Anima is a collection of seven wines representing four regions typifying the cultural heartbeat of each area. Poggio Anima, translated as ‘Hill of Soul,’ personifies the individual vineyards cultivated for each bottle. Many wines have vitality and a soul though few exemplify this trait, especially priced for weekday consumption.
Poggio Anima is a joint venture between one of Tuscany’s rising stars, Riccardo Campinoti of Le Ragnaie in Montalcino and New Jersey-based importer Ronnie Sanders of Vine Street Imports. The idea is straightforward: to source great vineyards from existing relationships and produce a real wine that conveys a place and a grape. These wines are not bulk wines, nor leftover juice from a winery, but long-term contracts that have signed with reputable growers.
Why the ancient pagan labels? There is an everyday dichotomy between good and bad in the world. Looking for balance in all things (including wine) is a vital quest for many. The Eastern ideology of Yin Yang is the core of this ‘balance’ in the Poggio Anima concept. Fusing this Eastern belief with Western philosophy is apparent when you look at the contradiction of red and white (wines), good vs evil (demons vs angels) and modern ideas with old world winemaking practices (catchy, fun packaging with classic old-world wine).
The white wines are named after religious archangels while the reds are named after fallen angels. Each wine was specifically named for the persona of the grape, region or style of the wine. Each wine hails from one variety, a single-vineyard and representing its indigenous place of origin.
This is real wine, from a real place, made by real people.