For each of the 500 varieties of grape present in Italy today, there have been generations of unnamed farmers who took care of them, out of affection or stubbornness, so that they have come down to us. However, we do know the name of one of them: Gastone Vio, custodian of the Dorona of Venice.
Together with his wife Dariella, Gastone is the last to preserve the three historical grape varieties of Sant’Erasmo: Bianchetta, Rabosa and Dorona. Monumental un-grafted vines over 100 years old, which have learned to prosper in the watery territory of the Venice lagoon.
In the 10 short confessions, Gastone ranges from family secrets to the discovery of a wine-making method that requires self-sacrifice bounding on obsession, mentioning the great flood of ’66 and the small things that put together make a lot, perhaps everything. Among funny jokes, reproaches and moments of tenderness, what emerges alongside a portrait of a unique wine-maker, is more than one contradiction present in the modern rural world.
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Audio: Italian, Veneto
Subtitles: English
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A film by Andrea Mignòlo.
With Gastone Vio and Dariella Finotello.