Garganega is a white grapevine believed to be native of the Berici Hills. It grows between the cities of Padova, Vicenza and Verona, and its presence stretches over a large area from Garda to the ends of the Berici Hills, up to the Euganei Hills. This grapevine is fully ripe in October, when its yellow and coriaceous skin shows hints of red.
Garganega was mentioned in a treaty by Pietro de’ Crescenzi dated around the 13th century, but it is certain that traces of this name and this grapevine have been circulating since year 1000 and that it grew thanks to the Etruscans who brought it in Italy.
Many academics think that Garganega shares some characteristics with other grapevines, such as the Sardinian one of the Nagarus, the Prosecco from the Veneto region or the Grecanico popular in Sicily and Puglia, probably brought in South Italy from Greece.
One of the characteristics that arrived to us almost untouched is the difference between some important clones: the Femina, a fruitful sub-variety, and the Mascula, an almost sterile one.
Our grapes throughout history
Garganega
Recent research on its genetics confirmed some similarities with the Malvasia de Manresa, a Spanish wine gone almost extinct, other than with the Grecanico as well.
In various treaties the golden grapes of Garganega are considered ideal for the production of sweet and dessert wines.
Garganega grown on volcanic soils has strong mineral notes and it is generally considered to be a very versatile grape thanks to its pleasant taste.
Garganega from the Berici Hills offers in its bouquet a small but rich bundle of aromas, such as almond and white flowers, with floral notes of snowdrop, sycamore and elder, while its acidity is not dominant but rather in balance with its sapidity.
It is ideal to pair Garganega of the Berici Hills with traditional dishes of Vicenza, such as baccalà (dried and salted stockfish), bigoli con la sardèa (bigoli with sardines) or pasta with white ragù, but it is also an excellent aperitif wine.
Tai Rosso
Tai Rosso from the Berici Hills is a red grapevine native of this area of Vicenza. Recent studies showed that this grapevine, which up until 2007 was called Tocai Rosso, has its ancient origins in the Spanish lands of Aragon, where it was known as the Garnacha, and from there it arrived in Sardinia, where it picked up the name of Cannonau, to then reach France, where it was called Grenache.
It is a ruby red wine with a vast bouquet with notes of cherry, raspberry, pansy, spices and delicate tannin, and an elegant aftertaste of almonds and rosehip. Tai Rosso perfectly accompanies the traditional cuisine of Vicenza, which includes typical dishes such as polenta and baccalà alla vicentina (boiled cornmeal with dried and salted stockfish) or platters of soprèssa (salami) and cheeses typical of the area, such as Asiago cheese.
The first story dates back to mid 18th century and talks about a woodworker (“marangòn” in Veneto’s dialect) who, during the kingdom of the empress of Austria Maria Theresa, which included the one of Lombardy-Venetia, after fighting for the Austro-Hungarian reign in the hungarian area of Tocaji, brought with him some vine shoots of Tai Rosso on his way back from war to his hometown, Barbarano Vicentino, where thanks to the climatic characteristics the vineyard grew and spread across the Berici Hills. This is why it is also called “uva del marangòn” (marangòn’s grape or the woodworker’s grape).
The second story talks about the reason why it is also called “uva del vescovo” (the bishop’s grape) and dates the Tai Rosso grape to the times where the Berici Hills were ruled by the Episcopalian power. It says that during one of their numerous travels to Avignon, which in the 14th century was the seat of papacy, some bishops received some Provencal grapevines from Vaucluse as a gift. They then planted them in the lands surrounding Barbarano Vicentino and Tai Rosso soon became a true symbol of its terroir.
Though, as interesting they may be, they are only popular legends. It is in fact more probable that Tai Rosso was imported in the second half of the 19th century when the Veneto’s population, as experienced wine exporters, were forced to become huge importers instead, in a successful attempt to re-integrate the enological heritage by planting grapevines from all around the World – such as the French Cabernet, Merlot, Sauvignon or Pinot – after the downy mildew and the phylloxera massively destroyed the previous plantations.
Very recent research shows that Tai Rosso has simply always existed on the Berici Hills, maybe under another name, and that it comes from the vine of Schiava (also known as Trollinger or Vernatsch), which is very popular in the provinces of Vicenza. It picked up the name Tocai Rosso in the 19th century recalling a Hungarian white wine that was very popular among the upper class.
Carmenère Berici Hills Doc
Right here on the Berici Hills there is Italy’s largest Carmenère vineyard, a black grapevine of bordelaise origin from Médoc, often mistaken for Cabernet Franc and Merlot and to which was given justice only recently.
It is thought that the Carmenère grapevine comes from the ancient “vitis biturica”, an Albanian grapevine introduced in France by the Romans, even though there are mentions of it by Plinius the Elder dating back to 71 b.C., where he talks about how it was grown by the celtic tribe of Bituriges.
The name Carmenère could come from “carmine”, for the intense crimson color of the wine obtained from its grapes. This grapevine is the origin of all the Bordelaise grapevines, even though during the 19th century its cultivation in France was endangered first by the phylloxera and then by the millerandage, which this delicate grapevine is very at risk of.
In Italy the Carmenère grapevine is popular in Veneto and Friuli, where it was introduced in the past because it was mistaken for Cabernet Franc.
Carmenère wine has a very intense ruby red color and a rich scent, with light grassy notes that are fresh and dry and strong notes of red berries, especially raspberry and ripe cherry, a soft and around taste and a subtle mineral tone.
Carmenère is perfect for meat-based dishes, such as roasted chicken, pot roast or boiled meats.
Manzoni 6.0.13
Manzoni Bianco 6.0.13 comes from one of the many attempts of professor Luigi Manzoni, agronomist and principal at the enological school of Conegliano in the ‘30s, to genetically improve the white and black grapevines through cross-breeding and hybrids in order to find a way to contrast the new parasitic diseases that were spreading at the time, making the enological sector sink in a severe crisis.
Together with another academic, professor Dalmasso, Manzoni made various experiments starting from 1924, but only some of them reached the results they were hoping for. In the ‘40s and ‘50s in Veneto the cultivation of Manzoni 2.50 and 1.50 started to gain traction, as they resulted particularly strong and versatile.
Professor Manzoni introduced a method of classification that still today characterizes the name of the grapevine of origin and the wine.
The first experiments made between 1924 and 1930 were classified with two numbers: the first one indicated the number of the row and the second the vine on the row. The second type of combinations, created between 1930 and 1935, were classified with three numbers, of which the middle one is always zero.
Later, in one of his numerous attempts he used a variety of an international grapevine and one native from Treviso as parental grapevines, Riesling Renano and Pinot Bianco, creating in this way Treviso’s native wine Manzoni 6.0.13, grown today in many parts of Italy.
On the Berici foothills between Longare and Costozza, we cultivate the grapevines to make our Manzoni Bianco 6.0.13, taking advantage of an excellent exposure to the South. In early September we harvest the precious grapes by hand, which are then softly pressed, to which then follows the phase of the static sedimentation with selected yeasts inoculation in clear must. We then leave it to ferment for 12 to 15 days, and then to age in stainless steel tanks on yeasts for at least 5 months where we perform one batonage per week.
Our Manzoni Bianco 6.0.13 is our pride and it has already been awarded a golden medal in 2017 in the still white wines category in the Enoconegliano contest, which is a famous enological regional competition for the selection of Veneto’s wines.
Our Manzoni 6.0.13 is a wine with the perfect balance between aromas, acidity and sapidity, with a rich bouquet of sweet flowers and the hints of fruits with white and yellow pulp. It is an excellent match with traditional dishes, such as eggs and asparaguses, risotto with peas of Lumignano, Fiolaro broccoli of Creazzo and stream trout.
