In the landscape of contemporary Italian wine, few projects have embodied such a clear and deliberate break as Hey French: You Could Have Made It But You Didn’t. A deliberately “Unconventional” multivintage white by Pasqua Vini, born in 2019 as an elegant provocation and a declaration of intent right from its name, and now much more than a label: it is a language, a stylistic trajectory, a true manifesto. A gaze toward France, cradle of the art of blending, that becomes dialogue and challenge. Not imitation, but contemporary reinterpretation. Thus, five editions later, Hey French now presents itself as a mature, layered project that has managed to evolve while keeping its identity intact. A wine that has changed over time while remaining unmistakably itself.
From experimentation to stylistic signature
At the heart of the project is the multivintage approach, a technique rarely applied to still wines in Italy, which involves blending multiple vintages selected for expressiveness and balance. From the very first edition, Hey French was born on the volcanic soils of Monte Calvarina, where altitude, temperature excursions and basaltic composition imprint a precise and distinctive mineral character.
In the first two editions, the process followed a classic approach: each vintage was vinified separately, with part undergoing malolactic fermentation, ageing on the lees and a subsequent passage in wood before the final blend.
With the third edition came the first real technical shift: the introduction of joint must process, a choice that marked a paradigm change in the construction of the wine. No longer just a final union, but interaction between components from the very beginning.
From the fourth edition onward, this evolution became consolidated. The blend grew increasingly complex, incorporating vintages even far apart from one another, while research moved toward greater aromatic precision and a more defined freshness, progressively reducing toasted notes in favour of a tighter verticality.
The fifth edition, debuting today, represents the most complete synthesis of this journey: six vintages — 2020, 2022, 2019, 2018, 2024 and 2015 — interact in a complex balance where technique and experience merge into a coherent vision.
The vertical tasting in Verona: five editions of Hey French in the glass
In Verona, the city that more than any other symbolises the bond between Pasqua wines and their territory, Hey French was the protagonist of a vertical tasting that narrated, in the glass, the evolution of the project.
The first edition presents itself today with a pure gold colour and an enveloping, almost reassuring sensation. The acidity is lively yet integrated, while delicate citrus notes and elegant sapidity accompany the sip. It is a wine that speaks of structure and ambition, with floral hints, chamomile and tropical fruit intertwining in depth.
The second edition intensifies the register. The colour becomes deeper, an intense gold, and acidity immediately takes centre stage, stimulating salivation. On the nose, biscuit notes appear, along with light ginger nuances and a more exotic profile where tropical sweetness meets flinty minerality.
With the third edition, the wine changes pace. The golden yellow anticipates greater mineral expressiveness, while the aromatic profile expands with raisin, lemongrass and creamy notes. The texture becomes softer, almost velvety, a sign of the new technical phase introduced with joint must processing.
The fourth edition expresses itself with balance. The colour lightens while maintaining intensity, and in the glass mineral notes meet a subtle pyric nuance. Aromatic components integrate with greater harmony, while the structure becomes more precise, less opulent, more contemporary.
The fifth edition is both a culmination and a new beginning. The colour returns to a lighter, almost luminous shade. On the nose, fresh exotic fruit, chamomile, sage and rose buds emerge. On the palate it is taut, savoury, with clear freshness and a mineral finish that immediately invites another sip. The almond notes of Garganega and the herbal tones of Sauvignon Blanc define a precise, essential and contemporary profile.
The evolution over time of a contemporary icon: Hey French today
If the early editions of Hey French were characterised by a stronger presence of toasted and tropical notes, partly due to the initial technical approach, the evolutionary path has gradually moved toward greater freshness and expressive clarity.
The multivintage technique, refined over time, has allowed for increasingly precise work on the wine’s tension, reducing warmer elements and expanding the mineral and vertical component. The shift to joint must processing has also contributed to greater integration between vintages, making the wine more cohesive and dynamic.
Today, Hey French is a wine that has found its own grammar, transforming experimentation into style. Now in its fifth edition, it is no longer just an innovative project but a true icon of the new course of Pasqua Vini. A wine that speaks the language of contemporary art, nourished by cross‑pollination, and that finds in time — and in its layers — its most authentic dimension. For if it is human craft that shapes matter, it is in the dialogue between vintages, ideas and visions that Hey French continues to evolve, harvest after harvest, edition after edition.
