Sainte Rose of Viterbo
Every 23rd August we celebrate our Saint’s day here at the Domaine, so this year for Sainte Rose day we thought we’d share some new images and history of Sainte Rose of Viterbo, the Domaine’s namesake, whose statuette sits inside the beautiful Orangerie, (a historic citrus fruit ‘greenhouse’) that is situated in the grounds of the Chateau.
Sainte Rose of Viterbo was a prophetic young girl, born in 1234, who inspired her homeland to stand with the Vatican in a dispute with the then Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Frederick II. Frederick had come into conflict with the pope, who promptly excommunicated him, so in response, Frederick began attacking the papal states, including the region of Viterbo in Italy. When Rose took the pope’s side against the emperor, she and her family were exiled from the city.
When Frederick died in 1250, the Vatican’s forces won the day and Rose and her parents moved back to Viterbo. Her attempt at age 15 to found a religious community failed, and she returned to a life of prayer and penance in her father’s home, where she died in 1252, aged just 18. Rose was canonized in 1457 and we love that amongst other things, she is the patron saint of embroiderers, gardeners and florists.
Harvest 2024 began in the early morning of Tuesday 13th August, when we picked carefully selected parcels of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for our method traditional sparkling base wines. This was opportune timing as due to the excessively hot temperatures of the previous week, the sugars were already beginning to rise and we wanted to ensure that acidity levels and pH did not begin to drop. In fact, analysis post-harvesting showed perfect chemistry for producing these base wines that have now successfully started their primary alcoholic fermentation in the winery.
Later last week, right on cue on the 15th of August, when the weather invariably has an unsettled period, we had a couple of spectacular thunderstorms with considerable rain, which created a natural break in the harvest. Having then carefully watched as sugars began to pick up again and acids began to drop, we cracked on with the Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. Next on the cards will be some reds for Rosé early next week. Do keep an eye on our socials for further harvest 2024 updates and more of our morning walks or ‘balades’, showing life on the Domaine.
