Our little gem
An ancient tuff quarry abandoned at the beginning of the twentieth century has been expertly transformed into our cellar: an environment to celebrate the union between the land, the wine and the work of man, elements inextricably linked to each other.The winery is a small jewel of sustainable architecture: completely embedded in the rock, it enjoys unparalleled thermal insulation, perfect for producing wine with a very low environmental impact. The winemaking room, where our wines come to life, and the barrel room where they slowly refine for years, are in direct contact with the rock, giving them tranquility, constant temperature and humidity throughout the year. On the upper floor is the drying room, which thanks to its higher position guarantees natural ventilation to the grapes left to dry.
The roof of the winery is represented by the vineyards: a green roof that not only enhances the beauty of the landscape but helps maintain a lower temperature than other traditional roofs, especially during the summer.
A perfect treasure chest to protect our most precious "treasure".
The secret is in the withering
Slow and natural.
We obtain concentrated grapes
and with a unique and unmistakable aromatic profile.
Appassimento is a thousand-year-old technique at the origins of the excellences of Valpolicella, which consists of partially dehydrating the grapes for 3-4 months before vinification to concentrate their sugars, aromas and nutrients.
We select the best bunches by hand and place them in boxes, carefully spaced apart.
The trays are then stored for months in the fruit cellar, placed on the top floor of the cellar with large windows that are always open to allow constant natural ventilation.
This is how Recioto and Amarone are born, wines born of care and patience that have always been 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.
The soft pressing takes place from above, with gentle transport of the skins, it is the first phase of the gravitational vinification of which we are convinced promoters.
A rigorous control of the fermentation temperatures allows us to extract the most intense aromas and greater cleanliness.
All the vinifications take place in stainless steel fermenters at a controlled temperature, never higher than 20°C, to keep the typical and identifying aromatic bouquet of the grapes intact.
Wine aging: the role of wood
The frame of the painting,
enhances, protects and defines an already excellent raw material,
never the dominant component.
Slow evolution, but the difference is in the result.
Wood aging as a tool to give our wines an aromatic contribution through natural micro-oxygenation.
After a short period in steel, all our wines age in wood for a prolonged period that varies from 12 months up to 10 years.
In our barrel cellar we have only large and medium-sized French oak barrels.