The greatest oenologist of the Renaissance of Italian wine, Giacomo Tachis, wrote: “Wine loves the breath of the sea”.
And it is precisely that breath of the sea which – together with the terroir – creates a unique microclimate; one with what it takes to tap the potential of every vineyard we cultivate. The result is a grape of quite extraordinary quality, which is perfect for the production of highly characterful, deeply complex wines.
Immersed in a landscape of rare beauty, the Valpanera Winery benefits from a terroir that intelligently combines the influence of the sea and the richness of the soil. Every vineyard, painstakingly selected and cultivated with dedication, receives the right balance of sun, wind and humidity – elements that contribute to the growth of bunches of exceptional quality. This natural balance, enriched by centuries of winemaking tradition, allows the winery to produce wines that fully express the authentic character of this part of the region, telling a story of passion and dedication.
The estates of the Cantina Valpanera extend across four main areas, each with unique characteristics that reflect the variety of our territory. The company’s headquarters, including the winery, is at the centre of these four areas.
Borgo Pacco, located around the winery, features clayey soils that are ideal for the production of our distinctive red wines.
The grapes cultivated on the sandy soils create a Refosco that is agile and highly drinkable, perfect for savouring while it is young.
Scodovacca is a time-honoured area from which our Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso comes, a grape that profoundly embodies the identity of our winery. The mineral-rich, sandy-clayey soils imbue our wines with a unique, distinctive personality.
San Martino, with around one hectare of vineyards, benefits from a particular microclimate that favours the production of high-quality grapes. This is the source for the selected grapes that we use for Aquilio and Alma, our two red riserva wines.
Cortona includes more than twenty hectares of vineyards characterised by gravelly soils, which are particularly suited to the cultivation of white-skinned varieties. In this area, we have identified precise zones that are used to produce our vineyard selections (crus) of Chardonnay and Malvasia. These fresh, velvety wines have a highly distinct aromatic profile.
THE HISTORY OF OUR LAND
The story of the area where our vineyards are located takes us back to the heyday of the city of Aquileia, founded in 181 B.C. by the Romans, which went on to become one of the most important conurbations in the Empire.
Aquileia was not only a political and military centre, but also an extremely important hub for trade and the production of wine.
“Rome made the production of wine a political tool to express the pax romana, with a view to combining, in times of peace, the activities of a legion with the agricultural and social situation of the occupied land. Confirming the strategic importance of wine, the centurions held in their right hand a staff known as the vitis, which was nothing but a vine branch.” (taken from Roma caput vini, by Giovanni Negri and Elisabetta Petrini).
And so it came to pass that in Aquileia the legionaries introduced the alberata – vines combined with trees. The Greek historian Herodian gives us a precise image of the vineyards in those days: in the countryside of Aquileia “the trees are arranged at equal distances, and coupled with them are the vines, forming a pleasing picture, so much so that those lands seem to be adorned with leafy crowns”.
