Stefano Mangiarotti
THE STORY BEGINS
In January, while in Verona, I attended a wine dinner and sat next to Andrea
Lonardi, a young workaholic that travels the globe for Bertani- a winery from
Veneto who is one of the most influential producers in the region. At the wine
dinner with Andrea, I sampled two amazing wines of the Bertani collection and
was overcome by their quality and authenticity-I wanted more, hence my return
to Verona four months later to sample their portfolio of wines-Amarone is my
favorite-and to visit the vineyards and production area to get a better grasp
on who Bertani is.
THE HISTORY
Founded in 1857, the dream of the brothers, Gaetano and Giovan Battista, was to
purchase the best land in the region and produce the best wine available. Their
philosophy of owning their vineyards and bottling their wine was a way to gain
dominance and independence in an industry that often leased land and paid for
bottling.
Gaetano was a gifted winemaker, having studied winemaking in France under
Guyot, who was considered a leading expert in viticulture at his time and still
today. (Isn’t there a pruning method named after Guyot?)
The vision 160 years ago is still alive today, same idea, but, some different
players. Cantine Bertani was bought by Tenimenti Angelini in 2011, also a
family-owned wine producer, based in Tuscany.
Angelini kept the same management team in
place and are running the operations separately.
Bertani owns almost 500 acres of vineyards
THE TRADITION
Bertani has created an image-an icon in the industry. The Bertani labels have
been the same since 1958, magnetizing the consumer with its hypnotic label.
Consistency, transparency (say what you do) and commitment to quality paired
with terroir recognition has made the name, Bertani, stand out from the crowd.
THE VISIT
At 8am sharply, I was picked up at my rented apartment in Verona
by Stefano Mangiarotti, who just returned from living in New
York for seven years, helping Bertani’s operations in North America. I was his link to America. We
drove for half an hour, ending up at the headquarters of Bertani-a large
historical facility where wine was produced and stored, as well as being the
home of the administrative staff.
After a quick coffee (you know we are in Italy), Stefano showed me the
facility in Grezzana, the heart of the operation. We visited the enormous wine
cellar, the bottling plant and the lofts where the grapes are dried on straw
mats. ‘Originally, the silk merchants used the lofts prior to the instillation
of the drying mats’, said Stefano.
Immaculate and clean, the headquarters had a sophisticated look that was sleek
and futuristic-much like the image of Bertani.
THE VINEYARD
It was a relatively short drive from the headquarters to the closest vineyard,
located on an old estate, with a panoramic view of the hills of the Veneto. ‘This is where
our varietals live’ said Mr. Mangiarotti.
The land was hilly, terraced and huge-as far as the eye could see.
Stefano pointed out that in the future, the caves in the mountain will be
turned into wine cellars-a unique approach-like many others Bertani takes.
We stopped and looked at the green vines and home to many of Bertani’s grapes:
Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara, Pinot Nero, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot,
Garganega, Trebbiano di Lugano, Cortese, Malvasia, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio,
Sauvignon Blanc and Oselata.
Stefano said that the traditional grapes for the Valpolicella collection are
grown on this hill. He emphasized the grape make-up for the classics.
Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOC uses Corvina and Rondinella, while
Ripasso Villa Novare Valpolicella Classico Superiore DOC ; Valpolicella Villa
Novare Valpolicella Classico DOC; Amarone Villa Arvedi Valpolicella Valpantena
DOC; Recioto della Valpolicella Valpantena DOC and Secco Bertani Valpolicella
Valpantena DOC use Rondinella and Corvina Veronese.
THE TASTING
|My afternoon was spent with winemaker Giordano Formenti, a young, energetic
winemaker who carried the weight of Bertani’s iconic portfolio.
After a walk around the loading dock, where I spotted a shipment to Palm Bay, their US distributor, we visited the wine
cellar and the impressive production area.
He brought me to where he makes his
wine, then upstairs to a large tasting room where we sampled
nine wines.
We started with Bertarose Rose 2016, followed by these
others:
Soave-Bertani 2015
Sereole Soave 2016
Velante Pinot Grigio 2016
Valpolicella 2016
Valpolicella Ripasso 2014
Secco-Berta 2014
Amarone della Valpolicella Valpantena 2011
Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2008
THE CONCLUSION
Three months after attending a wine dinner with Andrea Lonardi, my fantasy of
visiting Bertani came true. The wines I tasted in Verona in January came alive
at the headquarters of Bertani at Via Asiago 1, Grezzana, thanks to some
persistence of mine and the help of Michela Bonomi for arranging my daytime
visit, Stefano Mangiarotti for showing me the vineyard and picking me up, as
well as a wonderful wine tasting and wine lunch with winemaker extraordinaire,
Giordano Formenti.
(A special thanks goes to Paola Baschirotto)
THE LESSON
Tradition and style-repeated over and over make Bertani the winery it is today.
Repeating , repeating, repeating style turns wines into classics. The same
consistency in your palate has been recognized at Bertani. This philosophy of
making wine as consistent as in the prior vintage is their trademark.
It’s a lesson for all of us.
Philip S. Kampe
