Vigneti Vinessa

THE STORY
There is a wind coming from the southeast, shaking the shores of Garda Lake and Monte Baldo.
It has a long, intense, turbulent breath that shapes the vineyards and gives them a name: Vinessa.

Behind Vinessa there is a family that has turned its passion for the wind into a guiding thread, aking to Ariadne's thread, intertwining the values of nature, organic farming, and love for an extraordinary territory: Monte Baldo.
The Bonatti family has Mantuan origins, from the same village as the poet Virgil, where alongside the countryside, they shared a passion for Lambrusco. Since the early 1990s, the family moved to the Verona area, to start their main business, focusing on the development of precision agriculture systems.

This indissoluble bond with agriculture and nature drove Mauro and his son Leonardo to realize their vision: cultivating organic mountain vineyards in a unique, untouched, and unexplored territory.

Thus, in 2015, the dream was born: Vigneti Vinessa.

Their connection and knowledge of Garda Lake, led them to explore the pre-Alpine hills surrounding it, aiming to find the most suitable conditions for heroic and organic mountain viticulture that would lay the foundation of their entrepreneurial dream.
An in-depth research lasting more than two years led them to a timeless place, at the foothills of Monte Baldo, surrounded by woods and stable meadows: Lumini di San Zeno.

Mauro and Leonardo, completely captivated by the untouched nature and the unique pedoclimatic conditions of this area, decided to plant two hectares of vineyards on steep and rugged terrain, at 800 meters above sea level, daily swept by the winds of Garda Lake and Monte Baldo.

The most turbulent among them, Vinessa, after which the company it is nameded, perfectly represents the characteristics of the rugged and rocky territory, making Vigneti Vinessa's viticulture truly heroic.

From the beginning, their choice and clear intention were: heroic high-altitude vineyards growing in a unique and unexplored territory, embraced by Garda Lake and Monte Baldo, managed through organic cultivation that preserves the untouched nature of the place. These elements make Vigneti Vinessa a young company, attentive and sensitive to today's demands, with great attention to the future.

RESISTANT VINEYARDS
With a view to diversification and producing organic wine in a territory where viticulture is even more challenging due to morphological characteristics and pedoclimatic conditions, the choice to plant exclusively resistant vineyards (known as PIWI) was the natural evolution of the viticulture project. These vineyards, created from the crossbreeding between European and Asian vines, are fully resistant to fungal diseases and cold temperatures. Thanks to these characteristics, resistant vineyards allow minimizing phytosanitary treatments, thus reducing water consumption, CO2 emissions, and soil compaction.
Furthermore, the possibility to use only natural products for cultivation through organic methods respects the environment and the untouched territory of Vigneti Vinessa.

The first traces of PIWI vineyards date back to the Black Forest in the late 19th century, in the pre-phylloxera era. Major studies were conducted in the Free City of Freiburg from the 1970s, while in Italy, they only arrived towards the end of the 2010s. The current varieties planted are seven: four white (Bronner, Johanniter, Muscaris, Solaris) and three red (Cabernet Cortis, Merlot Khantus, Prior).

METHOD
The altitude and slope of the vineyards, along with the absence of chemical interventions, are just some of the characteristics of Vigneti Vinessa's viticulture, defined as heroic due to the unique conditions in which the vines grow, at altitudes between 720 and 800 meters above sea level, with significant slopes that prevent mechanization.

The secret of mountain viticulture lies in the low yield per vine. Only in this way is it possible to bring the grapes to perfect ripeness and achieve the complexity that great wines must have: the excellent health of the grapes is fundamental to allow for a quality late harvest. The quality of the wine starts with the agronomic management of the vineyard: there is a close relationship between a healthy and balanced vine and the final result achieved in the bottle. A strict and careful protocol, combined with the characteristics of the territory, allows for the harvest of grapes of absolute quality, which form the basis of the enological expression of Vigneti Vinessa.

The approach is holistic: from increasing organic matter to stabilizing nutrients to promote balanced plant development. Local cattle manure and worm humus are used to improve the organic matter in the soil; the practice of green manure between the rows facilitates the pollination process to maintain the ecosystem's balance; controlled and alternating grassing practices are implemented to preserve soil vitality and prevent erosion. Finally, to achieve balanced development throughout the phenological cycle, pruning aimed at yield containment per vine and practices such as topping and defoliation are adopted to optimize the vine's leaf surface.

All these practices not only affect the quality but also the overall health of the plants, reducing the need for treatments, thanks to the resistance of the cultivated varieties.

From the vineyard to the cellar, there is a sensitive attention to the entire process, and in this case, passion for nature and respect for it are the foundation of a precise, attentive, and quality winemaking philosophy.

Vigneti Vinessa's viticulture is heroic, young, and innovative, focusing on productive and vegetative balance while respecting the natural territory in which it develops.

WINES
Today Vigneti Vinessa produces two wines: Divento and Controvento.

Divento: is a still white wine obtained from a blend of Johanniter and Bronner. The resistant varieties from which this wine is born are organically grown between 720-760 meters above sea level, on south-facing terraces with clay-loam soil characterized by a high presence of limestone typical of the Veronese pre-Alps. The harvest takes place manually between the end of September and early October, a period characterized by significant temperature variations that mark the final stages of grape ripening. Manual selection of the bunches to achieve maximum quality leads to yields of about 50-60 quintals per hectare. The subsequent transport in low crates and the cooling of the grapes overnight keep the bunches intact before gentle pressing. The must then undergoes fermentation in 10-hectoliter oak barrels and ages in the same barrels for ten months with battonage twice a week. After bottling, the wine further refines for at least another seven months. Divento is a fine and elegant wine where acidity integrates with hints of medicinal herbs, giving minerality, drinkability, and a surprising saline finish.

A true mountain wine with great evolutionary potential that will further refine over the years, becoming even more complex. 2105 numbered bottles for the 2022 vintage.

Controvento is a sweet white wine made from Muscaris grapes. The resistant variety from which this wine is born is organically grown between 780-810 meters above sea level, on a sloping, south-facing terrain characterized by a maximum presence of limestone and clay. The harvest takes place manually at the end of September, intentionally early compared to the full ripeness of the grapes. The extreme manual selection of the bunches to achieve maximum quality leads to yields of 40 quintals per hectare. The grapes are then placed on racks in a temperature and humidity-controlled room for gradual drying. Once the ideal concentration in the grapes is reached, they are whole-cluster pressed, and the must is placed in steel to ferment up to 10 degrees alcohol. The wine then ages in steel for ten months and, after bottling in 0.375 L bottles, rests for at least another two months. Controvento stands out for the balance between the aromas and sweetness typical of a passito and the acidity and freshness characteristic of mountain wines, creating a combination that directly expresses the territory it comes from. The scents of peach and elderberry integrate with fine and elegant acidity, making the wine suitable for pairing with savory foods as well. 325 numbered bottles.

Currently aging in barrels is Vigneti Vinessa's first red wine, which will be available after the aging and bottle aging period. With the 2024 harvest, the projects of vinification of a Riserva still white wine and a sparkling wine are kicking off.