-PASQUA WINES PRESENTS FEAR NO DARK, DEBUTING WITH ITS 2020 VINTAGE

Creativity, research, innovation, heritage: these are the values that mark the stylistic codes of Fear No Dark the Pasqua family’s new wine project and the latest icon to personify its vision.

The desire to innovate pushes the winery beyond the traditional and the known, which in the vineyard and in the cellar is preserved and viewed with respect, but not with awe. With Fear No Dark, Pasqua Wines metaphorically challenges the darkness, the symbol of the unexplored, and continues its innovation journey towards an oenological future to be defined, without fear of challenges and comparisons.

Having no Fear No Dark also means having the courage to believe in a vineyard located in one of the shadiest, coldest and inaccessible areas of the extraordinary Mai Dire Mai vineyard, which the family has worked since 2010. Going beyond tradition means using winemaking practices that unite historic knowledge with technology; that dare to combine two very dark, demanding, strong grapes and make the creation of wine an art form.

Fear No Dark is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Oseleta (5%) from an iconic vineyard in Montevegro, already acclaimed by critics for its Amarone Mai Dire Mai. The grapes are cultivated in a single parcel of 5.1 hectares, located in the most secluded part of the property, facing north east. Shady with cool temperatures, this portion of the vineyard is exposed to the winds coming from the Lessini mountains. This parcel the first to be planted on the property, about 40 years ago ranges over two large cliffs, overlooked by a hill that creates different areas of shade, resulting in different ripening times between the two areas. Cultivation is by pergola, with a density per hectare of 4,000 plants and a yield of 7,500 kg. Before bottling, the wine rests for an average of 16 months in 500 litre tonneaux and 225 litre barriques, both new French oak.

The first vintage of Fear No Dark 2020, of which 12,000 bottles were produced, was a year of great balance. The mild and dry winter was followed by cloudy and rainy spring months. The summer months recorded no extreme temperatures with a perfect water supply. The harvest, completed in the second half of October, was characterized by an optimal climate, dry and hot.

The nose reveals fruity notes with hints of small black fruits and berries. Balsamic notes, medicinal herbs and a hint of undergrowth are also perceived. On the other hand, it is dry and soft on the palate, with silky tannins and an aftertaste of strawberries and currants.

Fear No Dark is positioned between Amarone and Valpolicella, in the ultra premium segment, and will be on the market starting 29 September 2023, the day of the full moon.

Not chosen by chance, the date cements the connection between Pasqua Wines with the “Luna Somni um” project and the world of art “Luna Somnium” is the site specific installation, redesigned by fuse* for the space of Gallerie Mercatali in Verona during Vinitaly, which suggests a new vision of reality through the emotional power of art, urging the observer not to remain anchored to prejudices, to what is already known, but to be open to changing point of view and modifying their perception, evaluation, and judgment on reality.

“Luna Somnium” thus becomes an invitation to free experimentation, a dream come true with human creativity, capable of combining vision and technology. An ideal similarity with the very vision of Pasqua Wines, which Fear No Dark and Mai Dire Mai embody to perfection: a lab of constant research, open to dialogue and discussion, unafraid of the unexplored and the new.

“We have been working on this project since 2010, the first vintage of Amarone Mai Dire Mai. Since then we have studied and appreciated the quality of this single parcel. We have been patient, we have waited 10 years to consolidate the positioning of Mai Dire Mai, which today is among the greatest successes of our winery” explains Riccardo Pasqua, CEO of Pasqua Wines and continues, “after refining our knowledge of the parcel and the vinification of Cabernet Sauvignon as well as gaining the appreciation of national and international critics, we are ready to present Fear No Dark, which we will bring to the world as a testimony to the strength of our vision and the coherence of our projects”.