Our vino cotto has a face: Grandpa Nicola

At the heart of our winery, among rows of vines and oak barrels, lie roots that go deeper than the soil, they’re part of our family’s story.

We’ve often shared stories about Piacentino’s ancestors: the Centofanti family, guardians for generations of the very land we continue to farm today.

But there’s another family story woven into our wines.

Today, we want to tell you about a man from the Pierdomenico (Piacentino's wife family) side: Grandpa Nicola: a strong and sharp presence, with the energy of someone who knows how to lead with confidence… and still makes the whole family laugh.

Grandpa Nicola today

The Keeper of a Recipe (Actually, Two)

Grandpa Nicola is the guardian of two small treasures from our family tradition: mosto cotto and vino cotto.

The first, mosto cotto, is simply grape must simmered for hours until it becomes a dense, creamy, naturally sweet reduction, traditionally used in rural cooking and pastry-making.

The second, vino cotto, starts right there: to the mosto cotto, we add fresh grape must — mosto fiore  to start a spontaneous fermentation that transforms it into a meditative wine, rich with character and history.

What makes them special in both cases is the same: Grandpa Nicola’s touch, always there to oversee every step with his trained eye and wooden spoon in hand.

September '97: A Birth, A Barrel, A Turning Point

It was mid-September 1997, during the harvest.

Anastasia had just been born Nicola’s first granddaughter.

Traditionally, vino cotto was made only for sons, a custom dating back to ancient Rome. Nicola had followed it with his son Massimo.

Grandpa Nicola with the son Massimo

But that day, smiling with affection, Grandpa Nicola turned to Piacentino and said:

“Ma mo nin li vulemm fa nuccun de vin cott pe sta bardasce?”

(What do you say we make some vino cotto for this little girl, too?)

A small gesture that still makes us smile today: an old-school man, without grand speeches, made a quiet act of love… and, why not, gender equality (ahaha!).

And so the 1997 mother barrel was born, dedicated to little Anastasia, still one of our proudest treasures.

Since then, we’ve followed his recipe: not written down anywhere, but passed on through hands, memory, and taste.

The Official Taster (Even From a Distance)

In the early years, he oversaw everything: from the slow simmering to barrel transfer.

Today, with the arrival of colder autumns and a few more birthdays behind him, it’s mostly up to us.

But his palate remains the final judge.

Every year, he’s the one who says:

“It’s ready.” or “It needs a little more time.”

A living tradition, renewed under his expert eye.

The Village Grandpa

Anyone who grew up in Fara Filiorum Petri (Chieti) knows him well. For decades, he was the driver of the "Bussetto", the little school bus that carried children from home to school and back.

Generations were guided by him, quite literally. Even today, people in town talk about him with affection and respect.

A Living Legacy

Today, Grandpa Nicola still watches, advises, tastes.

And sometimes, he reminds us that wine is not just a product,but a gesture of love, repeated over time.

If our vino cotto and mosto cotto today taste like home,it’s because they carry his hands, his voice,and that barrel from ’97, still teaching us how to make wine and how to make a family.

Grazie, Nonno Nicola. 💜