tenuta santa maria valverde - veneto

Located in the heart of the Classico area of the Valpolicella region, Tenuta Santa Maria Valverde is an estate with a long history in the region. 

In the 1920s, Giuseppe Campagnola was the first to open up a wine tavern in Verona where he would sell his wines to locals. 

Although the estate owns 13 hectares of vines, it only vinifies the equivalent of 1 hectare every year for a total production of 10,000 bottles. A strong believer in the French cru system of dividing vineyard sites, the estate opted to divide its lands in parcels. Each year, the estate singles out the specific vineyard sites which yield the highest quality grapes used to produce its wines. The remaining grapes are sold to neighbouring wineries and co-ops.

The estate was one of the first to have fruttai - rooms dedicated to the drying of grapes in the appassimento method. Compared to other wineries which opt for the minimum air drying required by the DOCG (three months), Santa Maria Valverde dries their grapes for five to six months. Moreover, its Amarone spends six-years aging in barrel and an extra year in bottle before being released. Quality is essential at the estate and is never compromised.

Located at the highest elevation in the Classico appellation, Tenuta Santa Maria Valverde’s wines are not the big jammy style that has become the norm in the Valpolicella. Rather, they are a window into the past: a demonstration of how wines of the Valpolicella used to be made before modern winemaking swept in. 

Today, the estate is run by Nicola Campagnola, vineyard manager and winemaker, and his wife Ilaria Nidini who is in charge of the commercial component.

Nicola is a true believer in the protection of the environment and minimal human impact on nature. As of 2018, the estate carries organic certification. 

A boutique winery from the Valpolicella that makes the big guys pale in comparison when it comes to quality. 

We are thrilled to represent Tenuta Santa Maria Valverde in Quebec!