Corte Giara, Bardolino

The grapes for this wine are sourced from vineyards located in the Eastern Morainic Hills of Lake Garda. The vineyards lie approximately 200 metres above sea level and face south and south-west. Soils are of fluvial-glacial origin and the vines are planted at a density of 3,000 per hectare, using the pergola trellising system. The average age of the vines is 34 years.

The 2022 winter was, like in most of Europe, cold and dry. The lack of rainfall during the winter and a rise in temperatures at the beginning of the spring, meant an early start of the growing season, almost 20 days before average. The spring was followed by a vicious heatwave so a good canopy management and effective emergency irrigation systems in the vineyards, were fundamental to survive the heat. Despite the efforts, some fruit was inevitably lost due to below average yields, but the fruit still showed a great fruit concentration.

After destemming and a gentle crushing, the must was macerated briefly on the skins before cold stabilisation. Fermentation took place with selected yeasts at 26-30°C for a period of eight to ten days, with frequent pumping over. Malolactic conversion was allowed to take place. The wine was then aged on the lees in stainless-steel tanks for three months prior to bottling.