“Eternity” is more than a word: it’s one of the deepest aspirations of the human genre since the earliest ages. In our times, in the mid-20th century, the aspiration to leave a trace of us even in the future has taken a precise form: the time capsules.
The formal custom began with the 1939 New York World's Fair, with "Westinghouse Time Capsule of Tomorrow". Westinghouse created a bullet-shaped container made of an alloy called Cupaloy, designed to last 5,000 years. It contained everyday items, microfilm of texts, newsreels, seeds, and even a dollar bill, all sealed with an explanation of its purpose. A second Westinghouse capsule was buried at the 1964 World's Fair.
Basically, a time capsule is a “message in a bottle” for future generations – kind of.
For a relatively young nation like the United States, which was asserting its global identity in the 20th century, creating a time capsule was a way to define and project its cultural legacy onto the future. It allowed for a deliberate construction of how they wished to be remembered.
But Italy? Ah! Italians don’t need that kind of stuff. We are overwhelmed by “time capsules”, but they usually call them archeological remains. So, in Italy, nobody feels the need to “bury”things.
Up until a few days ago.
Gianni Tessari, renowned wine producer in Roncà (VR, Italy), just before to uncork one of his bottles of sparkling classic method Durello to welcome the New Year, has decided to plant a metal plaque in the garden of his company with the inscription: Time Capsule. Do not open until 2050.
“2025 will go down in history as a particularly complex year for wine, for a variety of economic, political, and social reasons that have affected our sector,” explained Gianni Tessari. "It is one of those years that, when it comes to an end, requires the sector and its key players to stop and calmly reflect on the best way forward.”
The idea to make his personal “time capsule” came about after the birth of his first grandson, Lorenzo, in August.
“Becoming a grandfather is one of those events that changes your perspective on the perception of time passing, on priorities, on what has been done so far and how much is left to those who own the future – Tessari continued - The contents of the time capsule are intended to be a snapshot of the present state of winemaking, in a year full of changes and so important to me."
Inside the stainless steel container, the producer and his team have placed a collection of objects of symbolic or chronological value. Starting from the origin of everything, there is a soil sample from each of the three appellations in which the winery operates: Monti Lessini, Soave, and Colli Berici, illustrated by the relevant maps. Then there are some tools used in the vineyard and in the cellar: scissors and gloves used to select the bunches, corks, a whisky thief, even some bottles of his wines, as Dosaggio Zero Monti Lessini Riserva DOC, Perinato Soave Classico DOC, Pian Alto Colli Berici DOC and the PIWI Rebellis from Solaris grapes, and a glass to taste them in 25 years' time.
“ I am extremely curious to know which tools that we take for granted today will still be in use in 2050 and which will not” he claimed.
The capsule also contains magazines and newspapers that have covered wine news and explored the most pressing issues of 2025, along with a press review of the Giannitessari winery, a collection of authoritative wine guides, and other testimonials.
For Gianni Tessari, the creation of the time capsule was an opportunity to take stock of his professional and personal achievements and the lessons learned up to this point, to be shared with Lorenzo, but not only, in 2050.
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