Koi

Emilia-Romagna
Italy
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Koi

Emilia-Romagna
Italy
Italy
PRODUCER
Flavio Restani
ESTABLISHED
2016
FARMING PRACTICE
Biodynamic, Certified Organic
REGION
Emilia-Romagna
Italy
CITY / VILLAGE
CLIMATE
Continental
ELEVATION
SIZE

About

The world of Italian sparkling wine has been stuck in something of a rough spot in the last several decades: everyone knows and utilizes industrial-scale Prosecco, despite the race to the bottom it represents; many people have an allergic reaction when they hear the word ‘Lambrusco,’ understanding it to be semi-sweet red-sauce plonk; and fluffy Franciacorta hasn’t exactly done much to help the image of metodo classico wines here. So how should we begin to speak about the oldest way of making sparkling – or frizzante – wine in this country, which is neither to make easy-drinking, less complex pét-nats, nor to engage the full Champagne method?

Enter Flavio Restani: a young man working as one of the vanguard of second-generation Emilia-Romagna natural sparkling wine producers, following in the footsteps of older luminaries like Camillo Donati and Luciano Saetti. Restani’s wines, bottled under his label Koi, which he launched in 2016, are made in the traditional rifermentato method. With this technique, must and juice from the harvest are preserved after pressing and kept cold and secure until spring, when primary fermentation is complete in the still wines (usually sometime around Feb-April, depending on the winery/microclimate). Then, the still wines are bottled with this must, prompting something like a secondary ferment or, more accurately, a refermentation to begin—leading to bubbles.

We should clarify as a result: these are not sparkling wines the way that Prosecco made via the Charmat method has clear carbonation added, nor the way metodo classico creates a high level of firm mousse. The Koi wines are frizzante, with varying levels of pressure based on how much must/juice is added; the impact is to accent the already excellent still wines with just a bit of fritz. Flavio also works with no additives, so there’s a slight touch of a leesy character to the wines when they first arrive; this changes in the bottle with time, as a gentle version of bottle conditioning is also happening as the wines evolve over the months.

The key features of Flavio’s winemaking to us, however, are more about the terroir of the Colli Bolognese, where he lives and works; the caliber of and varieties of fruit with which he’s working—almost entirely Bolognese natives, even more particular than wider Emilia-Romagna; and the distinct focus and clarity that this young winemaker has already accomplished in just five vintages at his own winery. The varieties that Restani finds are naturally lower acid and a bit broader get made into ‘frizzante’ rifermentatos—bottled with less must and therefore slightly lower pressure; these grapes are Pignoletto, Montuni, and Lambrusco Grasparossa. The native grapes that strike Restani (and us) as being quite serious, high-acid, and ageworthy are bottled with higher pressure and called ‘spumante;’ these are Trebbiano Modenese and a lights-out rosato made from both that and Lambrusco Sorbara. (Ask us about Lambrusco Sorbara. We think it’s a strong contender for just-as-good-as Pinot Meunier.) There are also two still wines at Koi—a white and a red—where Flavio thinks the varieties don’t have enough cut to hold bubbles, these are also excellent (Moscato, Trebbiano di Spagna, and Barbera, in case you were wondering).

Soil types in the rolling, diverse hills around Bologna aren’t hard to understand—clay with calcaire dotted throughout, with ratios of each varying from slope to slope. What’s really striking is the intense mineral sensation in these wines, a forward, linear quality which you see carried across varieties and styles; Flavio works fully without additives or filtration or temperature control, so the refinement of these wines is particularly impressive. All of the wines are highly stable and physically clear almost immediately after refermentation; they only require around six months or so to feel fully coherent.

There’s a sense of clarity and accomplishment already here, and you feel it when you’re with Flavio: intelligence and serenity, a lot of kindness, and after a few glasses of his friendly, most aperitif-like sparkling, ‘Chi Mera,’ a goofy, playful sense of humor, too. We’re always really happy when someone’s wines reflect their personality directly, and we’re definitely a bit amazed at how quickly Restani’s work at Koi seems to be communicating many things: the profundity of this appellation which few people know; the very high quality attainable from many of Bologna and Modena’s native varieties, and the precision and clarity that a refermented frizzante wine can have. These are unexplored and misunderstood corners of the wine world, and we’re super pleased to have Koi as one of our new producers who are clearly instrumental in writing this new chapter.

Products

Emilia Bianco Frizzante 'Chi Mera'

TYPE
Sparkling / White
VARIETAL
Pignoletto, Montuni
FARMING PRACTICE
Biodynamic, Certified Organic
DETAILS

Certified Organic, Practicing Biodynamic. 50% Pignoletto, 50% Montuni. Sourced from a 60+ year-old vineyard, on largely clayey soils, with the two varieties interplanted--a white field blend. Grapes are hand-harvested and then entirely whole-cluster pressed. About 5% of the must is collected and kept frozen to employ for refermentation later on. The other 95% of the must is wild fermented, then in spring the juice is added (5%) and everything is bottled to become frizzante. Second fermentation takes place in the bottle. Unfined, unfiltered, undisgorged. No SO2. We recommend a gentle roll of the bottle to incorporate sediment.

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Emilia Lambrusco Frizzante 'Lambroosklyn'

TYPE
Sparkling / Red
VARIETAL
Lambrusco Grasparossa
FARMING PRACTICE
Biodynamic, Certified Organic
DETAILS

Certified Organic, Practicing Biodynamic. 100% Lambrusco Grasparossa. Taken from a single 1ha vineyard of 60 year-old vines. The vines are trellised in an old Bolognese fashion called 'Bellussi,' where grapes are harvested from 6.5 feet high. Winemaker Flavio Restani says this old system is perfect for the humidity of the Colli Bolgonese area, as well as encouraging full ripeness of the fruit. Grapes are hand-harvested and destemmed. Three days of skin contact fermentation with indigenous yeast, no temperature control. After the three days, the wine is racked. In spring, fresh juice is added (5%) and the wine is bottled to become frizzante; secondary fermentation takes place in bottle. Undisgorged. Unfined, unfiltered, zero SO2.

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Emilia Rosato Spumante 'Visio'

TYPE
Sparkling / Rosé
VARIETAL
Lambrusco di Sorbara, Trebbiano Modenese
FARMING PRACTICE
Biodynamic, Certified Organic
DETAILS

Certified Organic, Practicing Biodynamic. 50% Trebbiano Modenese, 50% Lambrusco di Sorbara. Sourced from a single 1ha vineyard of 60 year-old vines with the two varieties interplanted; winemaker Flavio Restani says, ‘Because Sorbara is a lower-yielding grape, normally it's planted between other varieties. I have this old vineyard where the Sorbara is 50-50 co-planted with Trebbiano Modenese, so I love to pick them together. They are very similar grapes: low tannins, extremely high acidity.’ The trellising in this old vineyard is done in an old-fashioned system from the region called ‘Bellussi,’ something like a pergola, where grapes are harvested at nearly 6.5 feet overhead: the training technique is ideal for dealing with the humidity of the region, as well as maximizing ripeness of fruit. Grapes are harvested together, both white and red, then direct-pressed whole-cluster. About 10% of the must is collected and kept frozen. The other 90% is fermented with indigenous yeasts. In spring the juice is added back in, and the wine is bottled to become Spumante. Unfined, unfiltered, zero SO2.

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Emilia Bianco 'Orsu'

TYPE
Still / White
VARIETAL
Trebbiano di Spagna, Moscato Bianco
FARMING PRACTICE
Biodynamic, Certified Organic
DETAILS

Certified Organic, Practicing Biodynamic. 50% Trebbiano di Spagna, 50% Moscato. The varieties are harvested from two different small parcels of vineyards totaling .3ha, with 40-60 year-old vines on medium-weight, clay-dominant soils. The Trebbiano di Spagna is hand-harvested and directly pressed, then added to the Moscato skins. Fermentation takes place with indigenous yeast in stainless steel. After 6 months of skin contact, the wine is bottled. Unfined, unfiltered, zero SO2. Winemaker Flavio Restani remarks that the idea is always to make the very best wines he can given his grape varieties in the village of Valsamoggia; since Moscato ripens quite late in the Colli Bolognese, he says it's impossible to make sparkling wine with it. As a result, for 'Orsù,' Restani combines the Moscato with Trebbiano di Spagna, also an aromatic variety, to make a textural, elegant still white wine.

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Emilia Rosso 'Nami'

TYPE
Still / Red
VARIETAL
Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon
FARMING PRACTICE
Biodynamic, Certified Organic
DETAILS

100% Barbera. Taken from a single vineyard site in the Monteveglio area, the steepest one that winemaker Flavio Restani works. 40 year-old vines, northern exposure, clay-dominant soils. The Barbera is collected and crushed, then sees two weeks of maceration; after that the fruit is pressed off. Élevage in concrete tanks throughout the winter, then bottling in spring. After eight mos of bottle age, the wine is released. Unfined, unfiltered, zero SO2 added. Only 600 bottles produced for the inaugural 2021 vintage of this wine.

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Emilia Bianco Spumante 'Illusione'

TYPE
Sparkling / White
VARIETAL
Trebbiano Modenese
FARMING PRACTICE
Biodynamic, Certified Organic
DETAILS

100% Trebbiano Modenese. Taken from a single 60 year-old plot on clay-dominant soils. 90% of the must is wild fermented, then in spring the latter juice/must is added (~10%) and everything is bottled to become frizzante. Second fermentation takes place in the bottle. Unfined, unfiltered, undisgorged. No SO2. Vignaiolo Flavio Restani's most Bologna-specific sparkling white wine: this particular iteration of Trebbiano does not exist except for in the hills around this appellation. A complex wine: florals, minerals, citrus zest, with medium foamy bubble and a finish vibrant with acidity. Not bubbly like Prosecco is bubbly, however; this belongs to the true frizzante style.

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