Rome, Ex Cartiera Latina. A venue in the heart of the Appia Antica hosted Jamming 2023.
I’ve never really liked making a distinction between “conventional wine” and “natural wine.” I prefer instead to talk about well-made wine or simply good wine, rather than adopting a different classification as often happens.
Around 80 producers were present, along with a few distributors, with a strong representation of French, Spanish, German, and Slovenian winemakers. Biodynamics and spontaneous fermentations were clearly the stars here… but I had fun. Only on a couple of occasions did I encounter those flaws we usually define as such, like a slight “funky” smell on the nose or excessive volatile acidity. In most cases, I found extremely interesting wines.
It’s not my habit to dwell on lengthy descriptions or technical details, but I’m happy to pause on both the “usual” Pinot Nero “Cuna” by Federico Staderini, always impeccable, and the Slovenian Klabjan and his Malvasia Istriana, presented both in the “White Label” 2021 and “Black Label” 2019 versions—two tastings with great identity and character.
As I mentioned a few lines above, events like this—slightly outside the mainstream—are more than welcome, pleasant opportunities to connect with small producers. The deliberate “interference” created by Gabriele Merlini & Co. didn’t interfere at all; rather, it stimulated my curiosity and fully satisfied my palate. As a friend of mine, a great tasting companion, likes to say: “In wine you have to look for balance.” But for me wine is also curiosity and fun, and in my view it’s worth trying to play with balances that can sometimes be a bit risky.
Jamming seemed like the perfect occasion to take that kind of risk—actually, that kind of freedom.
