Zenato

From the south-eastern shore of Lake Garda, where moraine soils give the vines mineral depth. Corvina (65%), Rondinella (25%) and Molinara (10%) produce a light, uncomplicated red. Ruby red in colour, with notes of cherry and violet. Dry, spicy, with a fine almond flavour on the finish. Ten days of maceration in stainless steel preserve the fruit and keep the wine lean. Serve at 14–16°C with pizza, pasta or white meat, a great everyday wine that does not hide its terroir. SUPERIORE.DE

The extremely flavoursome rosé classic from Lake Garda: Chiaretto Bardolino is floral, sweet and nuanced in the glass, with notes of wild strawberries and candied citrus fruits. It is soft and supple, with a brilliant acidity that maintains balance and crisp red fruits that resonate beneath the rosy inner flowers. Lasts an impressively long time and remains completely refreshing. A subtle hint of minerality remains. Excellent as an aperitif and with light dishes as well as a summery accompaniment in the afternoon. SUPERIORE.DE

Classic Soave. The name means "gentle" and perfectly captures the character of this famous white wine from Veneto. Zenato vinifies 70% Garganega with 30% Chardonnay in stainless steel to preserve the freshness of the grape varieties. Light yellow in the glass, with aromas of green apple, pear and subtle floral notes. Lively, fruity and balanced on the palate – an uncomplicated white wine with moderate acidity and a pleasant flow. Ideal with antipasti, fish and light summer dishes. SUPERIORE.DE

Pinot Grigio as it should be: typical of the variety, fresh, without frills. Zenato vinifies the grapes in stainless steel, thus preserving the clear character of the grape variety. Straw yellow in colour with greenish reflections. Pomaceous fruit and honeydew melon on the nose, juicy on the palate with moderate acidity and a creamy melt. The finish remains fresh and inviting. Versatile in use – whether as an aperitif, with salad, seafood or simply at the next party. Serve well chilled at max. 9°C. SUPERIORE.DE

Three grape varieties and one goal: freshness. Garganega brings structure, Cortese liveliness and Chardonnay rounds things off. The vineyards are located between Lazise, Peschiera and Valeggio, right on Zenato's doorstep on Lake Garda. Straw yellow in colour with green reflections. Aromas of peach, white flowers and a hint of citrus. Light and fresh on the palate, with restrained acidity and a pleasant mellowness. A white wine for the terrace, with antipasti or as an aperitif – light-hearted and yet with character. SUPERIORE.DE

Some of the Alanera grapes are air-dried before fermentation using the appassimento method to promote the concentration of flavours. Dark ruby red in colour. On the nose, the aroma of dried and fresh cherries, with a hint of coffee and sweet tobacco. The palate is berry-fresh with a lovely acid wire and fine tannins. A full, round wine for many occasions. SUPERIORE.DE

Chardonnay without wood, Zenato favours pure fruit with Santa Cristina. The grapes come from the single vineyard Podere Massoni south of Lake Garda, where 30-year-old vines are rooted in moraine soil. Harvested at the beginning of September, fermented at 16–18°C in stainless steel, then matured on the fine lees for four to five months. Straw yellow in colour with green reflections. Yellow fruit on the nose – apricot, ripe apple – accompanied by a subtle hint of hazelnut and flint. Full-bodied on the palate, but not heavy, with juicy fruit and fresh acidity. The finish has a fine mineral note reminiscent of the glacial soils. Versatile with freshwater fish, poultry or creamy pasta. Serve at 9–10°C. SUPERIORE.DE

Zenato has stood for reliable quality from the Veneto region since 1960 – no experiments, but solid craftsmanship over generations. The home of this Valpolicella Superiore is the gentle vineyards in the soft hills of Valpolicella Classica, in the heart of Sant'Ambrogio. Corvina Veronese forms the backbone with 85 per cent, supplemented by Rondinella and Corvinone from the 35 hectares of own vineyards. The grapes are harvested by hand in October, de-stemmed and macerated in stainless steel for ten days before the wine matures for twelve months in large oak barrels.

No winery has characterised Lugana like Zenato. When Sergio Zenato started out in San Benedetto di Lugana in 1960, the appellation was a sleepy corner on the southern shore of Lake Garda. Today, the family winery owns 70 hectares of the best vineyards – a tenth of the entire DOC. The Trebbiano di Lugana grape variety, also known as Turbiana, is rooted here on clayey moraine soils between Peschiera and Desenzano. DNA analyses suggest a relationship with Verdicchio – a debate that is causing a stir among ampelographers. One thing is certain: The 30-year-old vines produce grapes of remarkable complexity. Hand-picked at the end of September, gently pressed, fermented at 16–18°C in stainless steel.

Lake Garda is white wine territory – lugana, Custoza and Soave dominate the perception. Zenato's Cabernet from the single vineyard Santa Cristina proves that serious red wines can also be produced here. The cuvée of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc combines Bordeaux noblesse with the mild microclimate of the lake. Three weeks of maceration in stainless steel with frequent pumping over extracts colour and structure. The wine then matures for 15–18 months in new and used French oak barriques before being left to rest for a further month in the bottle.

The world-famous Valpolicella Superiore from Zenato, produced using the Ripasso method, is a rich wine with the best value. It is peppery, with earthy tones and gravel giving way to black cherries and savoury herbs. It reveals deep, silky textures balanced by vibrant acids, while ripe red and black fruits resonate under a hint of lavender. Zenato's Ripassa is concentrated and intense, but at the same time conveys elegance and leaves a fresh note of violet candy on the palate that lingers for a long time. SUPERIORE.DE

Lugana as a sparkling wine? The idea sounds unusual, but Sergio Zenato has been pursuing it since the winery was founded in the 1960s. He recognised early on that Trebbiano di Lugana, with its fine acidity and aromatic purity, was ideal for traditional bottle fermentation. Hand-picked in mid-September, gentle whole-cluster pressing, fermentation with natural yeasts at 16°C in stainless steel. This is followed by the decisive step: the second fermentation in the bottle according to the Metodo Classico – the same method used in Champagne. The Spumante sur lie matures for a full 24 months before remuage and dégorgement release the fine flavours.

Sansonina (Lugana and Merlot) is a strictly limited and very ambitious project by the Zenato family, in which only the best grapes from their own vineyards are used. Only a small number of these are sold in numbered bottles each year.

Brilliant golden yellow colour. Complex notes of light peach, fresh pineapple and poached apricot on the nose. Rich and creamy on the palate with accents of smoke and toasted almonds. The finish is long-lasting, mineral and herb-accentuated. This very focussed and complex white paints a beautiful portrait of the refined side of the Trebbiano di Lugana grape, which is becoming increasingly popular. SUPERIORE.DE

Between stone and altitude. The name already reveals where this wine gets its soul from: from the highest parcels of the Tenuta Costalunga in Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella, where the ground gives way to bare rock at 300 to 350 metres. Cresasso – a word that describes precisely this encounter in the local dialect: where earth meets stone, where the Corvina must put down its deepest roots in the barren, calcareous moraine soil with its high proportion of skeleton and chalky white inclusions. Sergio Zenato's vision was to create a wine that celebrates Corvina Veronese in its purest form – without the accompaniment of Rondinella or Corvinone, without the appassimento technique of Amarone. Instead, a slight over-ripening on the vine, hand-picked in the second half of October, when the grapes have reached their maximum concentration. Vinification follows the rhythm of the fruit: 15 days of maceration at 25-26°C, then 24 months of ageing in French tonneaux, followed by at least a further year of bottle ageing. Time as an ally, not an adversary.

The extremely popular and elegant Amarone classic from Zenato comes from Sant'Ambrogio, the heart of the Valpolicella Classico, where the family has had its home since 1960. Corvina dominates the cuvée with eighty per cent, complemented by Rondinella, Oseleta and Croatina – all from the slopes of the Costalunga parcel. After the hand harvest in October, the ritual of appassimento begins: the grapes rest for four months in shallow crates, losing water and concentrating sugar and flavours. Pressing does not take place until January, followed by slow fermentation with skin contact. The wine then matures for thirty-six months in large Slavonian oak barrels before being released after further maturation in the bottle.

The world-famous Valpolicella Superiore from Zenato, produced using the Ripasso method, is a rich wine with the best value. It is peppery, with earthy tones and gravel giving way to black cherries and savoury herbs. It reveals deep, silky textures balanced by vibrant acids, while ripe red and black fruits resonate under a hint of lavender. Zenato's Ripassa is concentrated and intense, but at the same time conveys elegance and leaves a fresh note of violet candy on the palate that lingers for a long time. SUPERIORE.DE

Sansonina (Lugana and Merlot) is a strictly limited and very ambitious project by the Zenato family, in which only the best grapes from their own vineyards are used. Only a small number of these are sold in numbered bottles each year.

A wine of remarkable aromatic complexity. Amarone aficionados know how many allusions these wines are capable of evoking, and it is not difficult to discern mushrooms, forest undergrowth, truffles, Havana leaves and even wild violets in this wine's aromatic profile, as well as the usual confit cherries and plums. In the mouth, the wine is remarkably concentrated yet elegant, carrying this bundle of allusions effortlessly and seamlessly through the palate. The fine pearly tannins give it support and the concentration of fruit is so great that the acidity almost fades into the background. A dense, polished and stately wine of the highest calibre. SUPERIORE.DE

Cresasso - an exquisite, pure Corvina. Intense aromas of dark fruit, rose petals and spices. Rich, concentrated fruit on the palate, silky, with a remarkable inner sweetness. Distinctive and sensual. SUPERIORE.DE

Between stone and altitude. The name already reveals where this wine gets its soul from: from the highest parcels of the Tenuta Costalunga in Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella, where the ground gives way to bare rock at 300 to 350 metres. Cresasso – a word that describes precisely this encounter in the local dialect: where earth meets stone, where the Corvina must put down its deepest roots in the barren, calcareous moraine soil with its high proportion of skeleton and chalky white inclusions. Sergio Zenato's vision was to create a wine that celebrates Corvina Veronese in its purest form – without the accompaniment of Rondinella or Corvinone, without the appassimento technique of Amarone. Instead, a slight over-ripening on the vine, hand-picked in the second half of October, when the grapes have reached their maximum concentration. Vinification follows the rhythm of the fruit: 15 days of maceration at 25-26°C, then 24 months of ageing in French tonneaux, followed by at least a further year of bottle ageing. Time as an ally, not an adversary.

Amarone Sergio Zenato Riserva - seductive complexity. Deep bouquet of black berries and cocoa, violets and lavender. The taste with aromas of cherries, blackberries and wild berries, in the long finish the invigorating fresh impressions of medicinal herbs. A stately wine of the upper class. SUPERIORE.DE