Valpolicella is best known for wines made using the Appassimento or Ripasso methods, but the nuances of its terroir are now being explored as never before by Cantine Bertani. Synonymous with innovation over its 166-year history of producing wine in Valpolicella, Bertani has launched an exciting new range of terroir-driven wines produced from fresh, not dried, grapes, focusing on the untapped terroir expression of superior vineyard sites in the region.
Le Miniere di Novare Valpolicella Classico and Ognisanti di Novare Valpolicella Classico Superiore, the first releases in Bertani’s ‘I Cru di Bertani’ range, are the culmination of almost a decade of research and development: instead of showcasing a style or technique, these two Corvina-based single-vineyard selections express their soils and grape varieties with transparency.
The boundary-pushing new wines offer the curious, educated wine drinker the chance to taste a rarely seen, lighter side of Valpolicella: fresh, light, saline contemporary wines which have more in common with the Pinot Noirs of Burgundy, the Gamays of Beaujolais, the Nerello Mascaleses of Etna or the Langhe Nebbiolos of Piedmont.
In partnership with ANGELINI WINES & ESTATES
They say that great wines are made in the vineyard – and this has never been more true for this great wine region than with the launch of the ‘I Cru di Bertani’.
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Bertani was founded in 1857 by brothers Giovan Battista and Gaetano Bertani. Combining industry-leading knowledge of viticulture and winemaking with business savvy, the Bertani brothers were among the first wine producers in Italy to introduce estate bottling and single-vineyard wines. In doing so they established Bertani as one of the most recognisable wine brands in Italy and abroad.
Bertani is now in the hands of Angelini Wines & Estates, with group COO Andrea Leonardi – recently named only the second Master of Wine in Italy – leading the winemaking team. In the same pioneering spirit shown by the Bertani brothers, Leonardi and his team have set a new benchmark for terroir-driven Valpolicella wines.
Exemplifying the relentless commitment to quality that has become Bertani’s trademark, a number of key changes have been made to accomplish this: the implementation of organic farming practices and measures to promote biodiversity in the estate vineyards have been allied to meticulous research into which sites are best suited to each wine.
I Cru di Bertani
– revealing Valpolicella’s untapped terroirs
A commitment to quality
Ognisanti di Novare Valpolicella Classico Superiore uses fruit from the Ognisanti vineyard, a site with a distinct white limestone soil, rich in active calcium carbonate. Corvina here expresses bright, saline black cherry and pepper notes, while its small berries are ideally suited to producing fresh wines that at the same time offer good palate density and tannic structure.
Meanwhile Le Miniere di Novare Valpolicella Classico uses fruit from the property’s Le Miniere vineyard, with limestone and iron-rich clay soils. Corvina from this vineyard is fruity and aromatic with notes of cherry, wild strawberry, blueberry, white pepper and a hint of cola plant. This is complemented by small proportions of Corvinone and Rondinella in the final blend.
These wines mark an exciting new chapter not only for Bertani but for the terroir story of Valpolicella. They say that great wines are made in the vineyard – and this has never been more true for this great wine region than with the launch of the ‘I Cru di Bertani’.
Vineyards of character
