Tedeschi

The well-known German Journalist Steffen Maus has classified Tedeschi Amarone one of the best in the Classic producer category in the “The best wines- November 2014″ in the online magazine WeinWelten, dedicated to italian wines. Steffen Maus considers a lot of Valpolicella producers.

Our family boast of an almost 4-century long history in the wine business and has always believed in the richness of Valpolicella wine production. We have reinterpreted it in a modern key and have adopted the most innovative production methods.
We respect and promote the area by producing powerful, elegant, typical wines that are rich in.

Our family’s work is primarily focused on the vineyards and the care of the vines. The careful attention that they devote to the vineyards implies the research for the most effective interaction between soil characteristics, microclimate, exposure to the sun, best varieties, and training system. Nothing is left to chance. Thanks to our constant, strong commitment, the Tedeschis wines have become synonymous with terroir and Valpolicella all over the world.

Over the last 3 years the Tedeschi family have carried out zoning and vineyard characterization studies on their Maternigo estate and the vineyards in the Valpolicella Classica area. Zoning, the study of the soil of the vineyards, has been long indicated as the starting point for quality viticulture. Even so, few wineries to date have undertaken this path, which is difficult and expensive, but does provide significant, permanent results. In most cases zoning studies are carried out by the Consorzi (farmers’ associations), and do not examine the single vineyards in detail, but rather limit themselves to explore the differences between the various areas of the appellation.The Tedeschi family have instead decided to carry out a zoning study in all the vineyards of Maternigo, an estate bought in 2006 where 31 hectares were planted with Corvina and Corvinone as well as Rondinella and Oseleta. When Riccardo started the study he asked himself, “Once the various zones are de- fined, will managing those that present the same characteristics in the same way be sufficient?”. In other words, in areas with the same soil characteristics, will the vines behave in the same way, or not?

Tedeschi is one of the historical estates of Valpolicella. The production area of Valpolicella is very large. Its registered vineyards nowadays cover approx. 7,000 hectares. It is bordered to the north by the Lessini mountains, to the south by the Veronese plain, to the east by the Soave area and to the west by the Adige river. The region is divided into three areas: Valpolicella classica (to the north-west of Verona), Valpantena (a narrow strip of vineyards to the north of Verona) and East Valpolicella (to the east of Verona, partly overlapping the DOC Soave area). The estate is located both in Valpolicella classica and in East Valpolicella.

The Valpolicella classica area is made up of three valleys: Negrar, Marano and Fumane. Its area is divided between the municipalities of Fumane, Marano, Negrar, San Pietro Incariano e Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella. Each of the three main valleys gives wines with different characteristics. The Negrar Valley produces elegant, full-bodied, mineral and very harmonious wines. As its vineyards are located 400 m above sea level, the Marano Valley produces high-quality, very aromatic wines, especially in warmer years. Finally, the Fumane Valley produces soft wines with low sugar residue. The area further south (where the valley meets the towns of Sant’Ambrogio and Gargagnago) makes extremely typical wines with low acidity, excellent body and which can keep well for a long time.

The Tedeschis’ vineyards in Valpolicella classica are located in Pedemonte and in the municipalities of Sant’Ambrogio and Fumane. The Monte Olmi vineyard is located in Pedemonte. It was one of the very first single-vineyard wines in the area and is nowadays well-known all over the world. The vineyard covers approx. 2.5 hectares and is grown on terraces sustained by drystone walls.

The vineyards to the east of Verona are located in the Squaranto Valley, Mezzane Valley and Illasi Valley. This area is characterized by hills and steep gorges which were created by prehistoric volcanic eruptions. The soil is rich in marine fossils, especially around Illasi. The area consists of the municipalities of Verona, San Martino Buon Albergo, Mezzane di Sotto, Colognola ai Colli, Illasi and Tregnago.

Bought in 2006, the estate of Maternigo is located in this area, between the municipalities of Tregnago and Mezzane di Sotto, and falls into the Denominazione di Orgine Controllata Valpolicella.

The estate was bought on the basis of long and careful research carried out by a team of agronomists and geologists to identify the best soils to produce high-quality wines.