the Tinazzi winery acquired land in the comune of Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella
constructing a state-of-the-art winery and cellar for the boutique production of high-quality wines
Tinazzi planted vineyards to take advantage of the natural contours of the land and the woods on the hills
which protect the grapes from the elements
indigenous grape varieties in order to produce the classic wines of the area
honouring the legacy of winemaking in a region whose viticultural history extends back to the ancient Romans
Cooling breezes sweep through the vineyards in the rolling hills east of Lake Garda
extending the vines’ growing season and ensuring healthy fruit at harvest
the Tinazzi estate at Poderi Campopian consists of 11ha of woodland and 5ha of vineyards in the heart of Valpolicella Classico
a historic winemaking region known as ‘the pearl of Verona.’
In the comune of Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella
Tinazzi constructed a state-of-the-art winery and cellar for its high-quality boutique wines
visitors have been able to experience the working winery established at Poderi Campopian
ideal for smaller groups of two to eight people
The former stables have become a thoughtfully designed tasting space
stone-vaulted ceilings from nearby Lessinia
and sustainable materials sourced in collaboration with local designers from Verona
Poderi Campopian is the birthplace of three wines
Reguso Valpolicella Classico Superiore DOP highlights the world-famous freshness of Valpolicella
with delicate red fruits and attractive perfumes in the glass
Lunante Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso DOP
Marziale Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG is the rarest
made in the most limited quantities: a noble expression of this historic
complex aromas from a minimum of one year spent ageing in French oak barrels
Tinazzi added on-site accommodation to host guests in the heart of Valpolicella’shistoric winemaking lands
Poderi Campopian entered a new era in July 2024
with the addition of on-site accommodation to host guests for overnight visits in the heart of these historic winemaking lands
The restoration of the 18th-century farmhouse was mindful of its heritage
The farmhouse is now home to a four-room and a two-room apartment
Each space has preserved the original character and architecture while adding modern conveniences and amenities
Inspired by the work of the Tinazzi winery
each apartment takes its name from one of the wines produced from the Campopian vineyards
The junior suites are named Lunante and Reguso
after the most important grape of the Valpolicella region
and has four rooms that can accommodate up to six people in comfort and style
all rooms are furnished with care and attention to detail
guests can enjoy walks through the property’s woods and vineyards
featuring local delicacies and the wines of Poderi Campopian
which can be savoured among the rows of vines
visitors can relax in the hot tub with a glass of Tinazzi wine or soak up the breathtaking views as the sun goes down over Lake Garda in the west
There are also plenty of scenic walks to discover, while those wanting to travel further afield can take e-bike tours of the wider area to immerse themselves in the beauty of the region. Poderi Campopian, the pride of Tinazzi, offers guests an unforgettable opportunity to relax in nature and discover the beauty and peace at the heart of Valpolicella’s wine country. Why not book your visit
the Allegrini family shared how its single varietal
single vineyard La Poja demonstrates the fine wine potential of Corvina as a variety
Allegrini was very different to what it is today,” Silvia Allegrini
part of the seventh generation of the family to take on the business
we were a very typical farm in the northeast of Italy.”
Seeking to shift away from quantity of production to quality
in 1979 Giovanni Allegrini acquired La Grola
a hill in Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella
This 3 hectare plot is 320 metres above sea level
with a south-easterly aspect and Lake Garda to the west helping to moderate the temperature in winter
“He decided to grow only Corvina there because he was deeply convinced of its quality,” Silvia explained
Despite the pergola system being traditional for the region (and surging in popularity once again)
Francesco Allegrini explained why: “We needed to reduce the number of grapes – the guyot system allowed us to double the number of plants and halve the amount of fruit
It also gave us better phenolic development and sugar concentration.”
The first vintage of the wine was released in 1983
gave some bottles of La Poja as Christmas gifts to employees as a sort of soft launch for it
one came back after the holidays and revealed that she had used it to poach pears – apparently they had never tasted so good
The company was fined by the consorzio for calling its first few vintages of La Poja a vino da tavola while also putting the vintage on the label
La Poja is labelled as a Corvina Veronese IGT
a geographical and stylistic designation that arguably does not necessarily match the prestige of the wine
While the black variety is a vital component of Amarone
the maximum percentage of Corvina permitted to meet the labelling requirements for these styles is 95%
Silvia suggested that getting DOC or DOCG status is not a pressing concern for Allegrini: “We would be very happy to have a DOC for 100% Corvina wines
but our main goal is to produce high quality wines
“We think that Corvina is the most important variety we have in Valpolicella,” Francesco explained. “So we wanted to create an iconic wine from Corvina.”
If anything, La Poja has been a pioneering example of the age-worthiness of Corvina when it’s on its own.
Cristina Mercuri, the first Italian woman Master of Wine candidate, guided attendees through a tasting which began with the newly-released 2018 vintage and was then followed by six vintages served blind – the oldest, as was later revealed, being the 1997.
In the case of the 2018, “a vintage of light” in Mercuri’s words, it was a growing season characterised by heavy rain in late August, slow ripening of the fruit, and, eventually, harvesting in mid-October – factors that suggest it could be one to keep in the rack for a while.
However, as Mercuri suggested, there is a place for both luce and caldo vintages: “The concept of an iconic wine is consistency of quality and scarcity of quantity, but also reflecting the vintage in a very pure and precise way.”
The blind vertical also revealed how Allegrini’s approach to winemaking has shifted. Gabriele Gorelli MW, who was in attendance at the tasting, noted how La Poja has been “progressively lightened and brightened” over the years. Francesco suggested that the 2006 vintage is the dividing line between the old and new styles, with the use of lighter toasted oak being a key factor.
In terms of how the 2018 was treated in the cellar, it spent 20 months in new Allier oak barrels, and then eight months in large Slavonian oak casks before being aged in bottle for 10 months.
“Valpolicella can be incredible outside of appassimento,” Mercuri argued – and the tasting concurred.
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that command bottle prices around $300 make up a small clique that rarely admits new members
But last week, Tommasi joined the club
based in the village of Pedemonte di Valpolicella
released the first vintage of a new small-production
the 2008 De Buris Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva
“De Buris is not a new high-end Amarone from Tommasi
It’s a completely new project,” company president Pierangelo Tommasi
told me as he strode through a gleaming new wing of the family winery
where workers were still making finishing touches
De Buris is named for the 15th-century Villa De Buris
where the wine debuted Friday night at a lawn party with 250 international guests served by a trio of star Italian chefs
serves as the aging cellars for the new Amarone
Tommasi plans to convert the property into a boutique luxury hotel and bistro co-branded with the wine
For Pierangelo and his eight cousins representing Tommasi’s fourth generation
the long-aged wine represents “the icon of the family”—a family that
has aggressively expanded from its home outside Verona to the end of the Italian boot
“It is the fourth generation’s project,” he said
“We didn’t want to make a wine to compete as an Amarone against other Amarones
but a wine to be the flagship for Tommasi in Italy.”
The seeds for De Buris date back to 2000 when Tommasi purchased Villa De Buris and another property, less than three miles away, in the commune of Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella. The 25-acre vineyard, called La Groletta, sits on the southwest side of the hill made famous by Allegrini’s La Grola and La Poja wines
After years of experimenting and replanting the lower terraces with the local varieties Corvina
winemaker Giancarlo Tommasi selected the oldest vines on the upper terraces for an elite Amarone
The result is on the more austere and elegant side
defying the stereotype of Amarone as a hefty
in this case dried in an attic on bamboo mats for more than 110 days
But with a vineyard that produces more complexity and aromas than sugar power
says he aimed for a clean but classic style—structured
Its 15.5 percent alcohol is restrained for Amarone
but that makes you want to drink it,” he said
The wine is fermented in conical wood vats and is aged more than five years in large Slavonian oak casks and more than three years in bottle
Tommasi produced about 600 cases and 300 magnums
Giancarlo has made similar quantities of the wine every year
except for rainy 2014 when Tommasi made no Amarone at all
Established in 1902 around the family home in Pedemonte, Tommasi is best-known for its range of Amarones, but also makes Valpolicella Classico, ripasso and recioto, plus Soave and other whites. After World War II, up to the 1990s, the third generation expanded the winery and estate to more than 100 acres under vine in Pedemonte alone.
The fourth generation created the Tommasi Family Estates umbrella, purchasing five wine estates across Italy—in Puglia, Basilicata, Lombardy’s Oltrepò Pavese and Tuscany’s Maremma and Montalcino regions. In all, the family now has 1,400 acres under vine.
“For us, De Buris is a way for the Tommasi family to come back home,” said Pierangelo.
Tommasi’s third and fourth generations all live within walking distance of the winery in Pedemonte, along with 16 members of the fifth generation—ages 2 to 21.
With wineries across Italy, a pair of hotels and restaurants in Verona and Valpolicella wine country, and more plans in the wings, a lot remains to be done.
“If there is one word that applies to our family, it is ‘project,’” Pierangelo said. “We have enough work for the fifth generation.”
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Tinazzi winery has won three silver medals at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2020
Tinazzi is a wine-making family-run company from Northern Italy with vineyards in two important Italian viticultural regions: Veneto and Puglia
has transformed the family business from a local institution to the prominent
the group produces high-quality traditional wines
help their father in managing this family business in constant growth
Tinazzi has been exporting abroad since 1984 and
with particular attention to China and emergent Asian countries
The important international awards it has received are only the latest piece in their long history
Corvinone and Rondinella – are harvested in early October
taken to the Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella crushing cellar and stacked in special crates (plateaux) where they remain for the drying process until December
grapes lose approximately 30% of their weight and sugar concentration is favoured
thereby conveying more body and structure to the wine
with maceration and fermentation at a controlled temperature and ageing in 5-20-40hl French and American oak barrels for 12-24 months
complex aroma with notes of red fruits such as plums and cherries
spicy hints and a balsamic vein with slight traces of chocolate
Wide and articulated palate with a good structure
Also ideal with grilled red meat and mature cheeses
Obtained from a blend of prestigious red grapes
this wine has three distinct qualities: a full body
it has an aroma of ripe red fruits with spicy notes enveloped in a hint of chocolate and liquorice
explosive on the palate with an excellent balance and persistence
is Tinazzi’s forte on all global markets
crushing and destemming is carried out in the Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella crushing cellar and is followed by fermentation and maceration at a controlled temperature
the wine obtained is added (“ripassato”) to the freshly-pressed Amarone pomace rich in sugar to convey more body and structure to the wine
Ageing is carried out in 5-20-40hl French and American oak barrels for 12 months
with an aroma of plums and black cherries well integrated with spicy toasted notes
Particularly suitable for autumn dishes (in Italy risotto
The entire list of the wines awarded at the Decanter World Wine Awards can be viewed here
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where more than 4,000 producers will be trying to impress visitors through tastings
“What’s in a name?” Shakespeare’s tragic-romantic heroine Juliet lamented
mournfully questioning the Verona family feuds that kept her from her Romeo
the families of Verona are embroiled in another drama over a name: Amarone della Valpolicella
The conflict began in 2009, when 12 longtime Amarone producers, led by Masi patriarch Sandro Boscaini, banded together to create a new elite confederation called Amarone Families (Famiglie Dell’Amarone d’Arte)
Venturini and Zenato—signed a manifesto calling for voluntary higher production standards and creating a hologram sticker to identify their wines
The effort aimed to distinguish their wines from what they considered lower-quality, supermarket versions of Amarone—the intense, dry red wine made through partially drying the local Corvina, Rondinella and, optionally, Molinara grapes. (This appassimento process is also used to make Recioto
“The idea was to communicate that Amarone should be a wine of exclusivity
looking over the vineyards in Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella that his family has cultivated since the 18th century—long before Amarone began to be made and sold commercially in the 20th century
The problem is that the Valpolicella Consortium controls use of the Amarone name
Some members were angered by what they saw as a small group designating themselves as the Amarone elite
we asked them to stop using the Amarone name
They didn’t want to do it,” says Christian Marchesini
a grower in San Pietro in Cariano and president of the Valpolicella Consortium
the consortium sued to stop the group from using the name
The 10 Amarone Families wineries that were still part of the consortium then quit
A judge in Venice is expected to deliver a verdict later this year
“The problem is they used the word 'Amarone,' which is a registered trademark,” says consortium executive board member Celestino Gaspari, 53, the former winemaker for his legendary late father-in-law, Giuseppe Quintarelli, a wine consultant and founder of Zymé winery
“If they called their group something like the 'Families of the Golden Grapes,' it would not be a problem
But Amarone is the patrimony of all the producers
The dispute is a very Italian one—highlighting the broad differences among wines and flaws in the country's classification system
from 500,000 cases produced in 2000 to more than 1.3 million in the 2012 vintage
whose 2011 biography was titled Mister Amarone
and who disassociated Masi from the consortium more than 20 years ago
argues that the Amarone Families have the right to the name
“Famiglie dell'Amarone d'Arte is the name of a group of producers of Amarone who share a vision of what Amarone means,” he says
“Since they all have a perfect right to promote themselves individually as producers of Amarone
why are they not allowed to do so as a group?”
The current president of Amarone Families, Marilisa Allegrini of Allegrini
defends the group as necessary to uphold Amarone’s image
“The reputation of Amarone has been threatened by overproduction of poor-quality wine
put on the market at ridiculously low prices so as to cash in on Amarone’s reputation,” she says
we have found ourselves in a situation in which the controlling bodies are not as interested as we are in protecting the image of Amarone,” Allegrini adds
it has almost become synonymous with a commodity.”
grapes for Amarone are supposed to be dried for at least 100 to 120 days until they lose at least half their weight through evaporation
producers cannot crush until at least December 1
though the consortium can authorize earlier dates
as it did in the hot 2015 vintage.) After vinification
wines must be aged at least two years in barrel prior to release
The Amarone Families manifesto is a general call—without specifics or policing—for adhering to artisanal methods such as “precise bunch selection during harvesting,” “prolonged drying” and aging in “high-quality barrels.”
Allegrini says that the group operates as a “gentleman’s agreement” to go beyond the appellation's minimum requirements
and that group members dry their grapes for long periods—often well into January—to achieve more concentrated wines
She also says that now the group is considering applications from other producers
including younger and smaller ones “that share our values and worries.”
Gaspari reflects the view of many producers who believe the conflict has turned into a “soap opera” that itself could hurt Amarone
“[Amarone Families] declare they are the best producers of Amarone, but it’s not true,” he says. “Quintarelli is not part of the group. Nor is Bertani nor Dal Forno. … It creates confusion in the market because of this stupid competition between the producers.”
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