Rosso Masieri 2023: Why Angiolino Maule’s Simplest Red Deserves Attention
Angiolino Maule is one of the most influential figures in Italian natural wine, but his Rosso Masieri 2023 is refreshingly uninterested in making a grand statement. It is a lively, unfiltered red from Veneto, with generous fruit, bright acidity and a slightly rustic edge that gives the wine personality without making it difficult to drink.
At a time when natural wines can cost a small fortune and still arrive smelling of fermentation problems, Masieri offers a more persuasive proposition. It is straightforward, juicy and deliberately informal, with neither expensive oak nor unnecessary concentration.
For around €18, this is exactly the sort of bottle that belongs on a crowded dinner table rather than in a cellar waiting for a special occasion.
The Basics
- Producer: La Biancara – Angiolino Maule
- Wine: Rosso Masieri
- Vintage: 2023
- Classification: Veneto IGT
- Region: Veneto, Italy
- Production area: Gambellara and the Vicenza countryside
- Grapes: Merlot and Tai Rosso, with Cabernet Sauvignon also associated with some blends
- Viticulture: Organic methods
- Fermentation: Spontaneous, using indigenous yeasts
- Ageing: Stainless steel
- Bottling: Unfiltered
- Alcohol: Approximately 12.5–13% ABV
- Bottle size: 750 ml
- Serving temperature: 14–16°C
Angiolino Maule: From Pizza to Natural Wine Pioneer
There is nothing conventional about Angiolino Maule’s career. Before becoming one of Italy’s most influential advocates of natural wine, he worked as a pizzaiolo. In 1988, he and his wife Rosamaria established La Biancara in Gambellara, beginning with a small vineyard holding and a conviction that wine should express the character of its grapes rather than the technical ambitions of its maker.
The estate developed around the volcanic hills of Gambellara, a landscape better known for Garganega and white wines than for fashionable red varieties.
Maule gradually abandoned conventional vineyard treatments and cellar additives, adopting practices centred on healthy soils, spontaneous fermentation and minimal manipulation. In 2006, he founded VinNatur, an association dedicated to research, transparency and more sustainable approaches to wine production.
His contribution deserves recognition because natural wine has not always been a particularly disciplined movement. The rejection of industrial winemaking techniques is one thing; accepting unstable, oxidised or unpleasant wines as inevitable expressions of authenticity is quite another.
Maule’s philosophy is more demanding. The objective is to produce wines with character and vitality while maintaining technical cleanliness.
For a closer look at his vineyards, philosophy and wider range, see our profile of Angiolino Maule and La Biancara.
Rosso Masieri: A Different Face of Gambellara
La Biancara’s reputation rests largely on its distinctive white wines, but Rosso Masieri shows how interesting the surrounding countryside can be for red grapes.
Merlot brings breadth and a softer texture, while Tai Rosso contributes a more delicate, fragrant personality. Known locally as Tocai Rosso, this variety belongs to the Grenache family and has a long association with the nearby Colli Berici.
The relationship between these grapes is particularly attractive in a wine intended for early drinking. Merlot gives the palate substance, while Tai Rosso helps maintain a lighter, more energetic character.
Cabernet Sauvignon has also featured in descriptions of the Masieri blend, lending structure to versions that include it. This is not, however, a wine defined by rigid Bordeaux-style ambitions.
The important point is the result: a fresh, unpretentious Veneto red whose personality comes from its fruit, gentle extraction and absence of conspicuous oak.
How It’s Made
Maule’s approach begins with grapes grown without conventional synthetic treatments, followed by spontaneous fermentation using the yeasts naturally present on the fruit and in the cellar.
The grapes are destemmed and fermented with relatively brief skin contact, preserving the youthful character of the wine without extracting excessive tannins.
After fermentation, Rosso Masieri matures in stainless steel. The absence of new oak is deliberate: there is no attempt to manufacture additional weight or introduce the vanilla and toasted notes associated with barrel ageing.
The wine is bottled without filtration, retaining a relatively direct expression of its original material.
Minimal-intervention winemaking demands careful attention to hygiene and fermentation. Reducing additives does not remove the need for precision, particularly when working with wines intended to be consumed young.
Tasting Notes
Colour: Bright ruby red with lively violet reflections.
Bouquet: Fresh red fruit, violet and a discreet peppery note introduce a fragrant, immediate nose. A faint earthy suggestion adds character without obscuring the fruit.
Palate: Juicy, medium-light and pleasantly energetic, with bright acidity and soft but perceptible tannins. There is a slightly rustic texture, yet the wine remains balanced and inviting. Its appeal is freshness rather than concentration, with a savoury edge that gives the simple fruit profile more interest.
Finish: Dry, lively and moderately persistent, with a gentle spicy note and an attractive tannic grip.
Our Verdict
Angiolino Maule Rosso Masieri 2023 is an enjoyable, characterful red that makes a convincing argument for natural wine without turning the philosophy into a spectacle.
It has the freshness and spontaneity expected from La Biancara, supported by enough structure to accompany a substantial meal. The fruit is appealing, the tannins are restrained and the absence of intrusive oak gives the wine an attractive directness.
Its limitations are equally clear. The aromatic range is modest, the texture retains a little rusticity, and the finish lacks the depth of more ambitious reds. There is no reason to exaggerate its complexity simply because the producer has an important place in the natural wine movement.
But Masieri was never designed as a monumental wine. It is a thoughtfully made, enjoyable red whose greatest strength is its refusal to become unnecessarily complicated.
It also provides an interesting contrast with the more structured expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon, showing how a Veneto red can favour moderate extraction and immediate pleasure over power.
Serve it slightly cool, around 15°C, and enjoy it while its youthful character remains at its most expressive.
At €18, Rosso Masieri is a good purchase. Not an extraordinary wine, but a sincere, lively and thoroughly enjoyable bottle that understands the value of simplicity.
Price
€17-18.
Food Pairings
Paella, vitello tonnato, chicken curry, pulled pork, empanadas, hamburgers.
