"Put a beer in a land completely devoted to wine. The meeting, the curiosity, the bet: on one side, Tommaso Marrocchesi Marzi, owner of Tenuta di Bibbiano in Castellina in Chianti, that represents the essence of Chianti Classico; on the other side, Leonardo Di Vincenzo from Birra del Borgo, a brewery in the Rieti province, one of the main actors in the boom that the craftsman movement is experiencing in Italy. In the glass, the L'Equilibrista, a beer obtained from Sangiovese must. "We had this idea a couple of years ago at Vinitaly" says Tommaso Marrocchesi Marzi. "We were sampling Leonardo's beers, especially the one flavoured with gentian, and we thought: why don't we try with Sangiovese? To tell you the truth, I am not a great beer drinker, but the opportunity of creating a beer with our Sangiovese, a kind of grapes with very strong ties to our estate and this area, really appealed to me". From idea to reality, thanks to the capable hands of Leonardo Di Vincenzo. The result is a marriage between beer and wine, not new in our lively beer world that becomes unique due to the use of Sangiovese and especially the production process. "We start with half fresh Sangiovese must and half Duchessa must: my spelt beer", explains Leonardo Di Vincenzo. "We start fermentation by adding wine yeasts. The beer is filtered, and then Champagne yeasts are added for a second fermentation in bottles. The beer is left to rest for a year in the cellar, followed by disgorging and an addition of liquer de expediction based on Duchessa distillate. This process is very similar to Champagne production". The name? "It is the name of the painting printed on the label, created by the roman painter Patrizia Riccioli", says Leonardo. "Actually, it represents well the essence of this meeting that merges the floral scents and acidic feel of Sangiovese with the typical smoothness of beer". About one thousand six hundred bottles of this beer with a Chianti heart have been produced, available for purchase right now".
Marco Ghelfi (from "Toscana e Chianti", October-November 2010)