The next generation

Being sentenced to probation. It's less punishment than jail, but you still have to keep quiet, listen nicely, don't make mistakes... We don't bother and sit it out patiently.
Text Marjolein Schuman / Image Bokkedoorns, Marjolein Schuman and supplied

We receive a warm welcome in the kitchen of the Bokkedoorns** With a cup of coffee, as we start early. Kwast Wijnkopers is celebrating because of their 45th anniversary and invites us to a masterclass by the prestigious Italian wine house Gaja with a subsequent lunch. When we enter the restaurant, we are startled because the rest of the guests are really all men.  

INSTRUCTIONS

Fortunately, Gaia Gaja counts for at least three well-behaved women, and there is silence in the room as she takes the floor and takes us through the history of the family business, which has been making wine in Piedmont, Tuscany and Sicily since 1859, in nine wines. Read more about Gaia on WINELIFE.NL in the article Leading lady in wine. Wijnkopers Kwast and winery Gaja are both family-run businesses that have been working together for years.  

Gaia Gaja counts for at least three well-behaved women

THEORY

Giovanni Gaja, Gaia's father, predicted it: the style of wine now is completely different from the previous century. And this is clear to taste. The 'New Age' Barolos and Barbarescos we are presented with are fresher, fruitier and softer and really don't need another 10 years of aging. It's an approachable style, without too much wood, that can be drunk much earlier. Something completely different are the surprising Idda wines, whose grapes come from the southern flank of the volcano Etna. Gaja started pioneering here in response to changes in climate. 

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