Allegrini, `La Poja`

Allegrini family estate comprises 120 hectares of vineyards the heart of Valpolicella Classico. Although the family has grown grapes for several centuries, Giovanni Allegrini was the first to bottle wines from the estate during the 1970s. Under his guidance, Allegrini’s modern reputation was formed, and today, they rank among Valpolicella’s top producers, providing a consistent reference point for fine Corvina wines.

Giovanni strongly believed in the potential of Corvina in producing fine wines. A grape widely overlooked in favour of international varieties; this attitude cemented Giovanni’s reputation as a maverick within Valpolicella. As a result, he acquired the now famed La Grola vineyard, replanting it entirely to Corvina and implementing guyot vine training, increasing planting density and reducing yields. After Giovanni died in 1983, he passed his passion and commitment to quality winemaking to his children, Marilisa, Walter and Franco. Together, they worked to build on Giovanni’s quality ethos, with Franco notably dedicating himself to winemaking and perfecting the ‘appassimento’ method, used in Amarone production. Franco’s dedication led to the building of the Terre di Fumane, a cooperative drying facility, which has revolutionised the process not just for Allegrini but Valpolicella as a whole. In 2023, Franco’s sons Francesco, Giovanni and Matteo, alongside their cousin Silvia Allegrini (Walter’s daughter), became custodians of their family’s historic estate.

Allegrini’s has been producing ’La Poja’ since 1979 when Giovanni identified a 2.6-hectare, calcareous plateau atop the ‘La Grola’ vineyard with the potential to produce exceptional, single-site Corvina. Now their most acclaimed wine, ‘La Grola’, hails from a 30-hectare vineyard planted at 310 metres above sea level on clay soils. It blends Corvina with Oseleta, creating a sleek and beguiling wine that sets the standard by which all other wines from Valpolicella are judged.

From the 2007 vintage, Franco sacrificed the Valpolicella Classico classification by bottling the Allegrini wines under Stelvin to eliminate cork taint and reduce oxidation problems. Allegrini’s Valpolicella has a lovely intensity of red cherry fruit, lifted perfumes, and a ripe yet zesty character on the palate. The Palazzo della Torre, a ‘baby Amarone’ produced by Allegrini’s modern approach to the Ripasso method, is plush and rounded. Their Amarone is outstanding, offering an intense yet balanced expression. The Giovanni Allegrini Recioto Classico, named after the winery's famous founder, is bursting with fruit and notes of cherry intertwined with pepper and thyme.

In 2018, Allegrini purchased 40 hectares of land in the municipality of Pozzolengo after years of scouting the Lugana area around Lake Garda. They created a Lugana defined by lively acidity, which balances the natural richness of the Turbiana grape. The resulting wine is stylish and elegant, defined by classic floral aromas and hints of almonds.