Modern traditionalists and traditional modernists

After spending two weeks working harvest with four Roero producers, I question the labels "modernist" and "traditionalist" that we often slap on producers in winegrowing regions like Piemonte.

I picked grapes and worked in the cellar with Mario Roagna of Cascina Val del Prete, a well-regarded "modernist" who ages most of his wines, including his Roero Arneis 'Luet', in barrique. And yet, his cellar methods are among the simplest that I've seen in Piemonte. The photo shows him using a plastic bucket and pasta strainer to do pump-overs. He has no special fermentation vessels and rarely uses the temperature controls that he paid extra for when he bought his steel tanks.

(Mario and I talked at length about what constitutes "technology". I argued that stainless steel definitely is technology, or the result of it anyway - not to mention pumps and plastic tubing. But his basic point is that all of the cellar gear and computerization that help automate winemaking for many other producers aren't necessary to make good wine.)

I also picked and helped a bit in the cellar with Mario's close friend, Angelo Ferrio of Cascina Ca' Rossa. Angelo puts a much smaller percentage of his wines in barrique. He's even stopped using barrique entirely for his Roero 'Mompissano', because he's decided that the nebbiolo from that vineyard is better-suited to aging in large, traditional oak botti. But Angelo's cellar is larger and more technologically advanced than Mario's, with specialized fermentation vessels and other technological innovations. (Not that Angelo and his crew aren't very hands-on in the cellar - we spent plenty of time moving grapes and hoses around!)

So who is the more "modern" producer? After drinking the wines of both producers many times over the course of two weeks, I'm not sure that I could say. I'm not sure that the question makes much sense, and I am sure that the answer is unimportant. Tasting and drinking the wines is what's important. And crashing through the forest on a rainy Sunday morning with Mario, Angelo, and Angelo's dog in search of truffles - now that's important!