Memory of Fulvio Prandi

Luciano was like a sponge: he absorbed everything he saw

Born in 1954 in Alba, where he still resides in the historic centre of the city, Fulvio Prandi is deeply connected to the viticulture of the surrounding hills, both as an oenologist, and as an entrepreneur in the supply of oenological equipment and machinery. For many years he was the fiduciary of the Alba branch of Slow Food. His relationship with Luciano was very close and extended over time.

"I have thought about it many times, – Fulvio Prandi begins – but I have never understood whether between us friendship or the bond of work prevailed. In any case, it was an intense bond that gave us satisfaction. I recall the first meeting with Luciano at Marchesi di Barolo in the Eighties. I remember him in that large cellar with his blue apron in Burgundian winegrower style, a way of dressing that distinguished him throughout his life".
Is there a memory from those Eighties that has stayed in your heart?
"It was the middle of that decade – Fulvio recounts – and, with Luciano and Roberto Vezza (at the time oenologist at Marchesi di Barolo), we had planned a trip to Burgundy. I knew the deep bond that Luciano had with that region and so I tried to organise that trip in the best possible way. I even managed to get us received at Romanée-Contì, the best known and most admired estate in that area. Even then we noticed that Burgundy was frequented by many wine enthusiasts from all over the world. We returned home with a feeling of envy, but consoled ourselves with the thought that we still had a great deal of work to do".
What struck you about Luciano during that trip?
"I noticed immediately that he was extremely attentive. He had understood that in those cellars they worked in a rigorous and advanced manner. Luciano was like a sponge: he absorbed everything he saw and turned it into professional baggage. Obviously he did so for the company where he worked, but in perspective he also did so for himself, for that project of a cellar entirely his own that he already had in his thoughts".
What became of him then, on his journey?
"Luciano for me – Fulvio recalls – was always a 'learned man' in the broadest sense of the term; he knew his work in depth and if something was not clear to him he did everything to understand it better. On many aspects of his work one could call him a conservative, on others an innovator. But he was so in a natural way, without forcing it".
In your opinion, what was his relationship with the Langhe and Roero like?
"First of all – Fulvio specifies – he was a concrete interpreter of the customs of viticulture that he knew well and shared for the strong bond he had with the territory. Luciano, moreover, knew in depth the events of Barolo and Barolo wine, knew Langa and Roero and his decision to invest in Valmaggiore in the Roero of Vezza d'Alba is symptomatic".
Is there an attitude of Luciano's that always struck you?
"Certainly. Luciano – Fulvio observes – knew very well that the role of the trade press was important in creating the image of a company. But he never chased it because he never sought visibility. He was convinced that if a wine had merit it would establish itself through work and commitment, without shortcuts".
Is there a wine of Luciano's that has always fascinated you?
"It would be easy to say Barolo. My heart has always beaten for his Dolcetto d'Alba, elegant, immediate, of an absolute frankness that makes the grape variety and territory prevail over market expectations. Before pleasing others, every wine of his had to please him first".