Azienda Zenato, North East Italy

Peschiera del Garda, Verona, Veneto

This famous, family winery was started by the Sergio Zenato in 1960 and today it is owned and run by his wife, Carla and their children, Alberto and Nadia. Alberto is in charge of wine-making and has taken this important, 75 hectare  estate into the top echelon of Veneto producers.

Their white wines are attracting increasing attention and the Lugana San Benedetto, made from Trebbiano di Lugana, grown above Lake Garda, is a wine with attitude, combing fragrant aromas with a full-bodied fruitiness and pithy nuttiness.  At the heart of their Valpolicella vineyards is Zenato’s Costalunga estate, near the town of Sant’Ambrogio. The Amarone is the jewel in their crown, made from Guyot-trained Corvina,  Rondinella and Sangiovese. The 'Ripassa' is not far behind the Amarone due to its unique wine-making technique where the Valpolicella is passed over the dried skins of the recently pressed Amarone for 7-8 days at 25°-28°C. The final wine is aged for 18 months in 500 litre oak casks, prior to bottling. The delicious Valpolicella Classico Superiore  is made from 85% Corvina Veronese, 10% Rondinella and 5% Corvinone.and is packed full of lush, intense dark plum fruit and carefully integrated tannins. The Bardolino is one of those perfect, approachable early drinking reds, sourced from vineyards between Bardolino and Peschiera, in the foothills south-east of Lake Garda.

Find all their wines here: Azienda Zenato