Our little gem
An ancient quarry of tuff, disused at the beginning of the twentieth century,has been skilfully transformed in our cellar:
an environment to celebrate the union
between the earth, wine and the work of man,
elements indissolubly linked one to each other.
The winery is a small jewel of sustainable architecture: completely embedded in the rock, it enjoys unparalleled thermal insulation, perfect for the production of wine with a very low environmental impact. The wine-making room, where our wines come to life and the refinement area where they slowly age for years, are in direct contact with the rock, giving it quiet, temperature and constant humidity throughout the year. On the upper floor there is the "fruttaio" for drying, which thanks to its higher position guarantees a natural ventilation to the grapes stored to wither.
The withering
Slow and natural.
We get concentrated grapes
and with a unique and unmistakable aromatic profile.
Drying is the most traditional technique of Valpolicella, known for centuries, consists in partially dehydrating the grapes for 4-5 months before vinification to concentrate the juice.
We select by hand the best bunches and store them in boxes, carefully spaced.
The plateaux are then stored for months in the "fruttaio", the top floor of the cellar with large windows always open that allow constant ventilation.
This is how Amarone and Recioto are born, wines children of care and patience always part of our tradition.
The gravitational vinification
After a careful and rigorous selection in the vineyard, the grapes arrive in the cellar and take different paths depending on the wine they will compose.
Soft crushing takes place from above, with sweet transport of the skins, is the first phase of the gravitational vinification of which we are convinced promoters. A strict control of fermentation temperatures, allow to extract the most intense, refined scents and a greater cleanliness.
All the vinifications take place in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature, never exceeding 20 ºC, to keep intact the aromatic bouquet typical of the grapes.
The aging
A slight touch,
never the dominant component
The aging in wood as a tool to increase the complexity and life of our wines through a natural micro-oxygenation.
After a short period in steel, all our wines, except Osè, make a transition in wood that lasts from 12 months of Valpolicella to over 8 years of Amarone Riserva.
In our cellar we only have medium and large French oak barrels: those 30 hl for Amarone, Valpolicella Superiore, Emblema and tonneaux 5.50 and 3.50 hl for Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore, Valpolicella DOC and Recioto.