Tezza (Veneto, Italy)

For three generations, the Tezza family have been dedicated winegrowers. Grandparents Giovanni and Virginia launched the family vineyard operation in 1960, and their children, Paolo, Giuseppe, and Renzo carried the family into winemaking.

From 1998 on, the TEZZA winery has been owned by cousins Flavio, Vanio, and Federico. The Azienda Agricola Tezza is an example of a perfectly-integrated wine producer, with total control over vineyard planting, care of the vines, the winemaking process, and sales and marketing. This ensures immediate and complete traceability of every bottle sold, since all of the grapes used are from the family’s estate vineyards.

The naturalness of the wines is likewise guaranteed, since the owners perform every step in their production. The Valpantena, a valley that lies in a niche between Lake Garda and the arc of the Alps, forms the link between the city of Verona and the Lessina mountains.

Its fortunate location gives the Valpantena a uniquely temperate climate that suits it for plants that are more typical of Mediterranean climes, such as the grapevine, the olive tree, and the cypress. According to the historian Caliari, its name means “Valley of all of the gods,” an explanation accredited by the presence of an underground Roman temple still visible today, the Pantheon di Santa Maria in Stelle. Once fissured by glaciers, the Valpantena today boasts limestone-derived soils, extremely favourable for vine-growing.

The vineyards, trained to the Guyot and to the traditional Verona-area sloping pergola, are located in the towns of Poiano and Nesente, near Verona.

During the last years, Tezza Amarones were rankeg very highly in the MERUM wine magazine by Andreas Maerz. During the AMARONE IN VILLA tasting, Tezza winery presented, as a pre-release preview, our Amarone Brolo delle Giare Riserva 2003. Following is the flattering review written by Elisabetta Tosi (visit her wine blog www.vinopigro.it):

"...right from their initial winemaking results, cousins Vanio, Flavio, and Federico stood out from other producers for their terroir-driven interpretation of Amarone. The Valpantena area is not the twin of the Valpolicella: it is more rough, wild, and rebarbative, qualities that characterise their Amarones as well. Both Corte Majoli and this Amarone from their Brolo delle Giare line are marked by a character that is more earthy and spicy than fruity. The Riserva 2003 represents Tezza’s first attempt to craft a Riserva version, the finest of the best. The result is a wine redolent of black pepper and clove, black liquorice and liqueur cherries, with an impressive alcohol (15.5% vol). If the body is just a tad slender, that is a characteristic typical of the wines of this valley. It finishes dry, clean, and self-confident.”