Possa

Riomaggiore (Cinque Terre), Liguria, Italy

Azienda Agricola Possa is the blood, sweat and tears of Heydi Bonanini, born and raised in the tiny rock-perched village of Riomaggiore in Italy's Cinque Terre. I've re-written this text about five times as the amount of mind-blowing aspects of this man and his project is enough for ten posts. Whether it's the rich viticultural history of this little known but astounding Unesco World Heritage Site, Heydi's incredible recovery of abandoned, vertigo-inducing terraces, his social work with both children and immigrant groups, or simply the unimaginable beauty of his landscape, there is just so much to be inspired by and learn from.

On an international level, Cinque Terre wines are relatively unknown, mainly due to their rarity and the heroic efforts needed to cultivate vines on these steep and unforgiving rocky slopes. This is a tiny region with its own distinct sandstone and volcanic terroir, its own native varieties found nowhere else, a rich history of sought-after wines going back 2,000 years, and yet today it has been reduced to under 100 hectares of vines in total across 23 growers. 

Heydi's vineyards are amongst the most diverse I've ever seen, with vines interplanted with over 60 varieties of herbs, veggies, fruit trees, and wild shrubs. He is an award-winning beekeeper, and though he does produce honey and mead he is more interested in the bees' work in the vineyards and orchards. 

His approach in the cellar is uncompromising. The wines are made with zero additions, the whites all see a bit of skin contact, and for elevage Heydi uses a mixture of steel tanks and various woods of local origin such as Acacia, Chestnut, and Cherry tree. Here, local varieties are king - Bosco, Albarola, Rossese Bianco, Bonamico, Moscato Rosso, Barbarossa, Picabon, and many more.

 

Heydi is also one of the 12 or so remaining producers of the world-famous 'Sciacchetrà,' an astounding sweet wine made from Bosco and Rossese Bianco. This is a wine that is excruciating to make, requiring backbreaking manual work, perfect-quality grapes, and a whole lot of patience for a tiny yield. The result however, is arguably one of the world's rarest and greatest nectars.