Someone once told me that wine is a mixture of art, science, history, and geography. If you’re a bit of geek of one of those, then you’ll be into wine. If you get into all four, then you’re in real trouble! Sadly for me, as a self-confessed 𝜋r2 maths obsessive, art has always felt a little bit out of my own personal reach. But it’s left me fascinated by artistic people, what they can produce and the feelings they can evoke. You can see why wine and art can be so tightly linked.
This summer, that link is being drawn upon by Pasqua Wines, the Veneto-based wine group, as it sponsors the Saatchi Gallery’s newest exhibition ‘Metamorphosis: Innovation in Eco-photography & Film’, showcasing four of the leading UK-based artists as they explore the changing climate and our relationship with our environment through a series of inspirational and thought-provoking visual pieces.
Far from a new venture, this is true to form for Pasqua Wines, as the recently crowned Wine Enthusiast ‘Innovators of the Year’ continues to support the arts both at home and abroad as part of the group’s cultural ethos as it promotes the wines and regions of North-East Italy’s Veneto.
Who is Pasqua Wines?
Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine spA (to give the full Italian name) is an award-winning wine group based in Veneto. The company, owned by the family of the same name, was founded in 1925 and has spent nearly a decade promoting wine regions across Veneto, including the iconic lands around Valpolicella and Soave.
Now under the watchful eye of second generation chairman Umberto Pasqua, the company has released the quirky and innovative Pasqua House of the Unconventional manifesto, to ensure that the lifestyle, art and culture that has always inspired its work goes hand in hand with all it produces. This included a dedicated research laboratory and a space for dialogue to ensure both quality and creativity permeates everything it does. The group was subsequently awarded the coveted 'Innovator of the Year 2023' award by Wine Enthusiast magazine.
Pasqua's vineyards stretch from western Valpolicella to eastern Soave, meaning its portfolio is a veritable who’s who of Venetian classics. The celebrated wines of Amarone and Valpolicella Ripasso rub shoulders with acclaimed Cabernet Sauvignon blends highlighting the experimental ethos within the group.
The Cecilia Beretta label is the group’s pride and joy with a selection of wines showcasing the truest varietal characteristics of the grapes of Valpolicella and Soave areas. The name originates from the 18th century patron and philanthropist Cecilia Beretta and the villa where she lived.
The wines are now under the management of acclaimed oenologist Graziana Grassini, and have received countless international awards, including for the ultra-premium Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG Classico Riserva and the organic Brognoligo Soave DOC Classico.
Sustainable business model prioritises exports
When we talk of sustainability (and I do…a lot!), one of the main facets is that the business model is sustainable. We’ve seen many incidents of wine businesses, regions and even countries too reliant on one particular market, whether home (Portugal and Greece post credit crunch) or abroad (most recently EU producers with large Russian contracts). You can’t afford to have all of your eggs in one basket.
Exports across a large global span have been one of the keys to the success of Pasqua Wines. This is reflected in an impressive figure of 88% of production exported of their nearly 13 million bottle production. Since moving to its new, purpose built offices in San Felice in 2007, it has sought to be on location in key markets, with US offices in New York in 2009, Asian offices in Dalian in 2017, and a new centre in Shenzen in 2021.
Coupled to that sustainable business model, the group is also certified under the Equitas scheme that manages processes in vineyard management, grape production, vinification, processing, blending, refining and conditioning of wines in the bottle. It also includes a commitment to reduce energy consumption in their wineries with natural temperature regulations, minimising packaging waste.
Joint ventures with the arts
The Pasqua Group’s sustainability initiatives also include a commitment to social sustainability initiatives, especially around its Veneto base. Since 2018, the company has invested approximately €5.1 million in collaboration with various artists and arts patronage programmes.
To date, the winery has realised over 20 collaborations with creators and multi-media artists including an AI-created experiential dream map, revealed to coincide with 2024’s Vinitaly wine fair, and then gifted to the city of Verona as part of its Sips of Art programme. The support for local talent can be seen on the label for the Hey French wine, designed by Veneto-local (although French born) artist CB Hoyo.
This summer’s Saatchi Gallery event marks the group’s debut collaboration with a major arts institution outside of Italy, which Riccardo Pasqua, the CEO of Pasqua Wines, hopes to use to highlight his own commitment to “experimentation and pushing boundaries”. This gains extra significance as the group head towards its centenary year in 2025.
“We are delighted to be supporting Saatchi Gallery to promote this show, underscoring our cross-generational commitment to innovation, creativity and unconventional approaches,” marked Pasqua in the event’s press release.
“Each of the four emerging ‘eco-artists’ participating in 'Metamorphosis' demonstrate what we have always believed to be true - that through experimentation and pushing boundaries we can unlock progress.”
What to expect from the show itself
Four UK-based artists exhibiting their work have each been selected on the strength of their innovative and unconventional approaches and early critical acclaim as emerging artists.
Almudena Romero is a British/Spanish visual artist who uses her work to question the artist's role in fighting the environmental crisis. Edd Carr is a leader of the Sustainable Darkroom who utilises moving images to depict our response to the ecological crisis. Hannah Fletcher is a Londoner and founder of the Sustainable Darkroom, who researches and incorporates waste in her photographic explorations. And finally Scott Hunter is a multidisciplinary artist who practises experimental photography and ecological research.
The somewhat flowery language in the curatorial statement for the show emphasises the meaning of Metamorphosis as a noun as “a change of form, shape, structure or substance, a transformation.” It’s a concept that Riccardo Pasqua was keen to highlight in the connection between this and the science, alchemy and artistry in their work in viticulture and viniculture.
Wines on show at exhibition launch
The launch night of the exhibition earlier this summer, was a chance for Pasqua Wines to showcase some of its own innovative wines, which interestingly focused on white and rosés that are attracting critical attention across its export bases.
The Hey French Bianco NV (Veneto IGT) is a blend of Garganega, Pinot Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc from select vineyards on the Veronese side of Mount Calvarina, one of the dominating peaks of inland Veneto. This 3rd Edition of the wine (whose full name is Hey French, You Could Have Made This But You Didn’t) is a blend of the five best vintages of the decade, 2016 to 2020. 10 hours of skin contact, partial malo and 10% barrique ageing, gives complex notes of chamomile, almonds, citrus, white pepper and tropical fruits, but has freshness in spades from the distinct, volcanic-soil minerality.
The 11 Minutes Rosé 2023 (Trevenezie IGT) makes use of Veneto locals such as Corvina and Trebbiano, with a smattering of interestingly planted Syrah and Carmenère. The 11 minutes refers rather quirkily to the 11 minutes of skin contact allowed during the gentle press to extract its beautiful pink hue which, as we know, matters so much in selling rosé! The must is cold settled, fermented at low temperatures, and then left to sit on its fine lees for 3-4 months for a touch of extra body. What you end up with is a spicy and floral rosé that should sit well with the “it has to look like a Provence” brigade.
And finally, the group was proud to also showcase its high scoring (94 points in 2024’s Annuario Migliori Vini Italiani) Organic Y by 11 Minutes Rosé 2021 (Trevenezie IGT). Made from Corvina, Trebbiano and Carménère grapes (no Syrah in this one) the musts are partially fermented in new French oak barriques for extra complexity. This is a much more gastro rosé with a touch more tannin, body, and sweet spices from the gentle oak treatment, whilst still enjoying those Corvina fruit notes and Trebbiano floral tones.
‘Metamorphosis: Innovation in Eco-photography & Film’ at the Saatchi Gallery (Duke of York's HQ, King's Rd, London SW3 4RY) supported by Pasqua Wines, is free to the public until Sunday the 28th July 2024.
The wines shown at the opening event, notably the '11 Minutes' rosé and 'Y by 11 Minutes' rosé are available alongside 14 further Pasqua wines from Majestic stores and trade accounts across the UK and online.
For more information about Pasqua Wine, please contact Sara Jensen at the Button Collective on sara.jensen@buttoncollective.com
