Pelissero family has always been dedicated to agriculture with a Langhe and peasant DNA. They are in Treiso, a township that became independent from Barbaresco in 1957, and which is in the heart of the production zone of one of the top three Italian DOCG, King Nebbiolo. It is the grape varietal that more than any other has defined and will continue to define the history of our hills and of the national and international wine making. They are the heirs of this land and of this vine. The spirit of continuous research in the vineyard, and afterwards in the cellar, plus passion, commitment and innovative dynamism are the firm bases that we combine with the pride of having reached the third generation of viticulturists. Their philosophy has not changed, however: we focus only on original varietals that are typical of our land, particularly Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto, which make up about 85% of our production. All the grapes that we use come from the 38 hectares that we own. They are able, with the help of knowledgeable colleagues, to directly supervise the entire production cycle, from pruning to marketing of 250,000 bottles every year.
The pedigree of origin of a determined sub-zone and the delimitation of its area, the classification of the characteristics pertaining to the various vintages and the process of bottle refinement to both propitiate and maintain distinction, smoothness, elegance and longevity, are three crucial moments to be lived in the first person, concepts that I consider both as matters of substance and style. Quality, research, passion, respect for our history and our land with a window ever open on the future, are the underlying principles of our philosophy and the expression of our wines.
Welcome to Villa Sparina, a wine-making farm in Monterotondo, Piedmont, in the heart of the home of Gavi wine DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllate e Garantita). Here the cultivation of grapes has been part of this land and of the lives of its people since time immemorial. Quality, personality and great wines. This, today, is Villa Sparina, a vineyard founded by the Moccagatta family in the 1970’s. A farm which has always put the territory at the centre of its projects with an eye to valorising the history and culture tied to the grapes of the area. Villa Sparina comprises 100 hectares of land, 70 of which are cultivated with local grapes for the production of Gavi and Barbera wines. And, if it is true that all great wines are made essentially in the vineyard, ours grow on perfect ground, with an excellent position and mild climate. These three factors favour the natural production of great wines.
“Le Marchesine”, small and innovative Franciacorta wine estate, is now one of the most prestigious companies in its league, and in full development in the lucky Lombard area. Under the expert guidance of his father Giovanni, Loris Biatta with his children Alice and Andrea, takes care of the vineyard and of the cellar. From its initial three hectares, the company vineyard has extended reaching 47 hectares, registered in the Doc and Docg lists. Most of the vines are grown on Guyot with 4000-4500 strains per hectares, the rest on Sylvoz with a slightly lower density, with 3200 strains. Even though it is perfectly in line with the productive guidelines dictated by the Franciacorta consortium, “Le Marchesine” as always distinguished itself for its innovative cultivation style, starting with abandoning the outdated pergula system, as soon as Giovanni bought the vineyards, and shortly after the import of the French techniques.
Since 2001, the year of the establishment of the Cantina Bolzano, a South Tyrolean winery based on strong traditions, we have emphasized wines of selected quality and regional character. We offer our customers a wide range of first-class, award-winning wines. Using the latest cellaring techniques, know-how, decades of experimenting in perfection and great affection for our products, our aim is to meet the highest quality standards and thus to make first-class wines that are unique and distinctive. Our passion and devotion allows us to create rich, inimitable, yet at the same time modern products whose taste always reflects their origins.
Quality is our obsession, our greatest satisfaction and our passport to the world. From our own vineyards and deep passion for our work we produce wines we are proud of. Whites for our Valdobbiadene DOCGs, like the “Particella 68” but also other noble, well-structured wines which come from our strong sense of belonging to this land. Reds, because from the land of Prosecco Superiore we also produce vermillion wines such as our excellent and successful Taglio Bordolese. Green, for our eco sustainability, our harvests always done by hand, our love and respect for this land which we nurture to make it a garden, a cradle for quality. Whites, Reds and Green… the colors of our pride in being Italian wine producers looking to an international market of connoisseurs
Serafini & Vidotto grow their vineyards according to ethics, searching for taste, observing the paces and principles of a compatible and intelligent farming. Since 1987, the 20 hectares produce best grapes of the area. The quality of the wines is the result of the careful work in the vineyards. Healthy and ripe grapes, obtained with the high standards of manual labor, the right plan density (about 6,000 plans/hectare) and low yields. More or less one bottle per vine. Without losing the sense and proportion of things, supporting the forces and the capacity of land, air, and climate. Being content with a limited production, which grows very slowly respecting the character and nobleness of the result.
The grapes not only form the basis for a good wine: they give it its essence, its soul, its personality. They adapt themselves to the rhythms of nature, they make themselves at home in the land in which they grow and allow themselves to be guided by the hands of the vigneron. Cultivating the land is an ancient occupation, tinged with tradition and the aura of times past. The Speri began working as vine growers in Valpolicella seven generations ago. Times change but the old values endure, as does the Speri’s pride in being part of an extraordinary area like the Valpolicella classica zone and the moral duty they feel to express its characteristics in their company’s wines. One of the historical families in Valpolicella, Speri is an important and faithful exponent of the wines of the Valpolicella Classica zone and has also become, thanks to the firm’s consistency and its intimate links with its area of origin, an authoritative point of reference within the Italian wine scene.
A couple of years ago, we inaugurated our new cellar, built entirely below ground level to ensure maximum functionality: the vineyards do the rest. The key characteristic of our estate is that we are lucky enough to be able to source grapes from three distinct terroirs, at Rosazzo, Buttrio and Rocca Bernarda. Initially, grapes from each subzone are always vinified separately so that we can gather statistical data to improve our understanding of each zone and vine type. Only later on do we go ahead with blending, according to the wine type concerned. The Rosazzo subzone has a warmer, almost Mediterranean, site climate. In fact, we even grow olives here. The sea is relatively close, as the crow flies, and this has an undeniably beneficial impact, although it does perhaps limit the range of temperatures, which is not particularly wide. It is at Rosazzo that we grow most of our red grapes, which yield broad, vibrantly powerful wines. Whites cultivated here include Tocai Friulano, which derives the originality of its character from the Rosazzo hillsides.
Vistorta’ s clay soils and warm, well-ventilated summers are the never-failing elements that yield red wines of impressive quality; those are the same conditions that Brandino found in Bordeaux and in Medoc. The 1980s saw the launching of painstakingly attentive recovery efforts of Vistorta’ s century-old merlot vines and the planting of new, organically-farmed vineyards, which today are yielding grapes of great finesse and utterly-distinctive character. Each vineyard parcel is individually harvested and vinified, and the finest-quality grapes, with their unique fragrances and flavors, will give life to a wine with expressive personality and a fine balance of all of its components. At Vistorta, vineyard management has always had the mission of accompanying the vines into a healthy golden old age and thus being able to capture their quintessence and the myriad nuances that these majestic vines can give us.
Today as in the past, the Mazzei family leads the legacy of their know-how at the place where everything started, at Castello di Fonterutoli, one of the most important institutions of Chianti Classico and Tuscany, with an outstanding history and a bright future ahead. Since more than six hundred years, the Mazzei family produces unique wines with spirit and passion renewed from generation to generation. At Fonterutoli, as well as at Belguardo and Zisola, resides the same philosophy that aims to promote local vine varieties as an expression of the identity of the region, in respect of diversity and nature, via sustainable agriculture and improvements mindful of the delicate hydro-geologic balance, in order to prevent soil erosion and maximize water reserves in the region. All of this in order to be able to hand the land intact to future generations.
The Grace family, who have lived in Europe for over four decades, has one all-important philosophy: which is to respect the tradition of the land and winemaking in the special village of Panzano-in-Chianti. And thus our wines focus on how best to showcase the wonderful Sangiovese grape. As part of this philosophy, we have always had a real focus on sustainability both in the vineyards and in the winery. To that end, we became a CERTIFIED ORGANIC winery in 2013 – as indeed is the entire vinicultural region of Panzano-in-Chianti… something we are all extremely proud of. If you come to the winery, you really should take a walk up and behind the winery. There you will see our southern-most vineyards as well as the 9 meter tall statue of San Francesco delle vigne. This statue was commissioned by the Grace family in 2009 by local artist Sandro Granucci (please check spelling) and sits atop one of our higher elevation vineyards. The statue is dedicated in part to all the people who have worked this land past, present and future. We look at wine as a connective experience. It can connect people to a land, a place, a time, and each other. And our wines and winery have gained an international reputation as a very authentic producer of terroir-driven Chianti Classico.
