The Farm – L’erm

L'erm is the result of Jyothi’s deep connection to her adoptive land, and her true passion for wine she developed at college.

Jyothi’s parents and grandparents have always played an important role in shaping her sense of rootedness and in 2018, the small winery of L’erm opened in Borgomasino, in the Canavese wine district (Turin area).

Since the ancient times, this land has always had a vocation for wine making and Borgomasino is located in the production districts of Erbaluce di Caluso DOCG and Canavese DOC.

‘L’erm’ means l’eremo (deserted) in the local dialect, and it refers to a deserted shed built in 1958 right in the middle of the current 7.5 acres of vines where the winery is located.

Erbaluce and Nebbiolo vineyards – the two local variants par excellence – cover almost entirely the extension of L’erm.

L’erm aims to enhance both the still little known local oenological tradition and the Borgomasino territory that has welcomed Jyothi with open arms in 1996.

The Borgomasino territory

“Borgomasino is located at 45.21.30 degrees north latitude and at 4,29.0 degrees longitude west of Rome on top of a pretty hill, on the right bank of the Dora Baltea river. Its territory extends over 1297.11.56 hectares almost entirely of diluvial soil in a Pliocene zone. Half land is on a plain, between the Dora Baltea river and the Naviglio, and it is almost fully irrigable, and the other half is on a hill. Even though the plain is fertile, east to west the hill is the real treasure of Borgomasino thanks to its many excellent wines that have always represented a great local business resource”

(Storico Antonino Bertolotti, 1869).

CONTATTACI

HISTORY OF BORGOMASINO

In the ancient times, Borgomasino was invaded and conquered by different populations: some Ligurian populations with cultural contacts with the Etruscans came over already in the 5th century BC, and the Gauls in the 400BC.

After the invasion of Salassi, a celtified Ligurian tribe, in 568 the Longobards and the Bulgari arrived. This last ones named the village “Bulgarum” later Borgomasino, in Italian.

Famous Italian historian, Antonino Bertolotti wrote in 1896 in his “Passeggiate nel Canavese” (Walks Around The Canavese District):

“Even though the plain is fertile, east to west the hill is the real treasure of Borgomasino thanks to its many excellent wines that have always represented a great local business resource

The white Erbaluce, the Bonarda and Claretto from Borgomasino were displayed at the Turin Agrarian Exposition in 1865, presented by Mr Fasciotti & Comp., winemakers; a few months ago, at the Asti Exposition, a grocer, Mr Giovanni Aymini received a special mention for his passito (raisinated) wines made purely of Bonarda and Erbaluce. Different locals are into oenology and among them, Sir Valperga, Mr Giovanni and Felice Aymini, Mr Andrea Fessia, who preserve the same exquisite wines.”

The elders remember how the vineyards covered the whole hill.

The harvest has always represented a moment of social celebration and the protagonist of its traditional lunch in the vineyard was the “sausisa a l’aj” (salsiccia all’aglio or garlic sausage): hand cut into slices and paired with whole wheat country bread and a glass of good wine. This tradition lives on to our days.

When factories like Olivetti and Fiat opened, the local agriculture was almost totally abandoned, only the family vineyards survived. This is how the viticulture declined and woods replaced vineyards: between 2008 and 2019, Borgomasino lost 40% of its vineyards moving from 12.95 hectares (32 acres) to 8.63 hectares (21.3 acres)

The few winegrowers left donated their grapes to the Cantina Sociale (wine cooperative) in Serra di Piverone.

Grappa deserves its own chapter. The historic Distilleria (distillery) Pompei Modesto & Figli (Sons) founded in 1878 in Borgomasino, by Modesto Pompei, was operative until 1990. That’s where the whole local Nebbiolo, Barbera and Bonarda pomace were distilled. This distillery produced three kinds of grappa like the Riserva, aged in Slavonia oak barriques. They also made the very old Grappa and the Grey-green one (grappa with mint essence), Amaro (bitter) Burgre (Borgomasino in the local dialect), rue Grappa, nocino (walnut digestive) liqueur, elixir of cinchona bark, Lemonburgre, Oranburgre and Pompei Bitter.

In the recent years, the local hills have been rediscovered and developed to produce high quality wines.

It’s up to us to create a future in full respect of our land to make it better than we found it…