6 October - 13 January 2013
In the Italian wine region of Valpolicella, wine is made in the same way as in Antiquity. Valpolicella, which means "the valley of the many cellars", does not only produce Valpolicella wines but also Amarone. The small region north of Verona and east of Lake Garda borders the foothills of the Alps/Dolomites to the north and the mighty plain of Po to the south.
In the Italian wine region of Valpolicella, wine is made in the same way as in Antiquity. Valpolicella, which means "the valley of the many cellars", does not only produce Valpolicella wines but also Amarone. The small region north of Verona and east of Lake Garda borders the foothills of the Alps/Dolomites to the north and the mighty plain of Po to the south.
What is MILLESGÅRDEN?
The artist couple Carl and Olga Milles acquired a property 1906 on the cliff of Herserud high above the body of water named Värtan on the island of Lidingö just outside Stockholm. Their intention was to build a home incorporating space for their art studios.
The house was designed by architect Carl M. Bengtsson
and was built 1908. During the following half-century Millesgården was expanded
and developed in collaboration with Carl's half-brother, architect Evert
Milles. In 1936 Millesgården was constituted into a foundation, which was
donated to the Swedish people. In anticipation of Carl and Olga's return to
Millesgården, 1950 saw the construction of the spacious lower terrace with
monumental replicas of free-standing and fountain sculpture from Sweden and the
USA.
After Carl Milles death in the fifties the compound
was converted into a marvelous museum which contains a lot of Milles sculptures
and other works of art that he collected during his lifetime.
Continuously there are also temporary exhibitions at
Millesgården and right now there is a wonderful little display called “Amore
Amarone” where you can learn all about where and how Amarone is made.
AMORE AMARONE
The exhibition Amore Amarone shows how Amarone wine is
produced; from the drying process to the finished bottle. The exhibition
includes sketches, maps and bamboo shelves with grapes hung up to dry, straight
from the harvest in Valpolicella. There are also scent samples for visitors to
savour. In addition, the exhibition includes works from the Millesgårdnes
collections, such as the god of wine, Bacchus, ancient wine amphoras and
drinking vessels from Carl Milles' Collection of Antiquities.
Virgil and the other Roman poets were Carl Milles'
introduction to ancient mythology. That Carl Milles was a great lover of Italy
is a well-known fact and Millesgården's terraces bear testimony to how greatly
inspired he was by the country. The Collection of Antiquities, with Roman and
Greek sculptures, was his library and source of inspiration.
Vines and grapes appear on many of the sculptures in
the Artists' Home at Millesgården. Perhaps Carl Milles was particularly enamored
with grapes, seeing that many of his works are decorated with vines?
In the Valpolicella wine region, grapes are dried in
order to extract sugar, acid, flavour and concentration, in the same manner as
2,000 years ago. The grape varieties also boast a tradition many thousand years
old, corvina, rondinella and molinara. However, since a few years ago , other
grape varieties are also permitted - for better and for worse. One such
excellent grape is the ancient oseleta which was rediscovered by, among others,
Sandro Boscaini at Masi, twenty-five years ago.
Be sure to visit Millesgården and particularly the
exhibition “Amore Amarone” before the 13th of January!
Written by: Kristian Kull
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