Top Italian Wines Roadshow. The Cottini family and the 4 Cs

Cottini's winery in Veneto

Monte Zovo - Cottini's winery, founded in 1925, is located at the northern end of the province of Verona, where the hills become increasingly steep and the Adige valley emerges ominously. Their 140 hectares of vineyards in eastern Valpolicella, Tregnago and Sirmione are destined both for the production of Bardolino and for their more creative selections, while the Civaie estate hosts the grapes for their Lugana wines. The style, which is precise and well interpreted by Diego's son Michele, features clear varietal expression and excellent solidity.

Cottini family

It’s all about family. Diego Cottini is the mind and soul of the company, he strongly believes in high altitude vineyards, which are the most suitable to epxpress the native grape of the place, such as croatina, molinara, and rodinella, next to some international varieties like sauvigon. Annalberta, Diego’s wife, plays a key role in the organization of hospitality and events management. The son Michele graduated in wine-making and takes care of the different steps of production in the cellar, while his brother Mattia is in charge for all the communication and marketing issues. The production philosophy can be summed up by the four Cs: care, consciusness, constancy, cocreteness. “We have always been oriented towards sustainability at 360°, even when there were no protocols. In the vineyards we work to protect the level of biodiversity, we got the Biodiversity Friend certification, which studies the presence of living organisms and the quality of the environment. In our Caprino Veronese estate, where we produce the Calinverno and the Sauvignon, we converted everything to organic. While in terms of winemaking, we have been using vineyards waste through biomass in order to produce energy since 10 years. Now we are thermally autonomous and with new solar panels will reach the energy indipendence”, told us Mattia. Next? “We’re working on resistant vines, we thrive 12 hectares of vineyards with the goal to produce wines with zero environmental impact. The results are very intereresting. Lastly, we’re promoting a new biodistrict, Bioverona, which embraces the belt north of Verona, to create synergy with other actors in the agri-food chain. Sustainability must be promoted, even all our visits to the cellar are structured to stimulate the visitor's interest on the subject”.

Wines

The Ripasso 2018 displays an unusual drinkability, it features fresh, intact fruit, with a warm, soft and lingering palate. On the other hand, the Calinverno ’15, a red made with overripe grapes that are subsequently dried, stands out the fullness of its palate. The 2018 Sauvignon, made with grapes cultivated on the high hills, features flowery aromas and an energetic palate. The quality of the Cottini’s Amarone stands out from the large selection of wines, which range from historic Verona appellations to more creative wines. It offers up aromas of sweet, ripe fruit, enriched with balsamic, oaky overtones. The Amarone 2016 opens warm and soft in the mouth, progressing into a generous, powerful palate well-supported by tannins. It amazes for the freshness of its aromas, smooth yet potent, supported by acidity and almost salty vein that confers expansion without weighing down the palate. The finish is long and very lively, this is definitely a wine to stock. It will reach his peak in the next 10 years. Food pairing? We strongly suggest some braised beef meat cooked with a little touch of Amarone wine. Serve it together with some house-made polenta. This is the proper way to celebrate the cold season. Sip slowly, and Buon appetito.