Ponte Pietra, Merlot/Corvina

The fruit for the Merlot Corvina is grown in vineyards situated next to the Soave zone in the Val d‘Alpone. The Merlot is grown on the warm, sheltered plains on clay soils, and the Corvina in the foothills on tufaceous basalt soils. All the vineyards have excellent exposure, which helps ensure complete ripeness.

A mild winter with abundant rainfall created a good water reserve in the soil. Frequent and heavy rains marked spring 2024 and, in some cases, intense weather events, with temperatures generally remaining below the seasonal average until mid-June. While spring was cool, summer months were very hot, especially the first weeks of August, with peaks above 40°C. However, these conditions rarely hindered vine growth and grape maturation, thanks particularly to the water reserves accumulated during the spring.

The grapes were hand harvested, destemmed, crushed and pumped into stainless steel tanks. 25% of the juice was drained from the tank to increase the ratio of skins to juice, resulting in a wine with greater colour and flavour. The wine was pumped over the cap every hour in the early stages to allow for further extraction. It was left in contact with the skins for four to five days, and fermentation took place at temperatures up to 30°C. After pressing, the wine was aged in stainless steel tanks until bottling.