The illustrious Montresor family moved from France to Italy at the start of the 19th Century, and settled in the Veneto region near Lake Garda. In 1892 Cantina Giacomo Montresor was established in Verona, and remains family-owned to this day.

Giorgio Montresor produces a portfolio of wines which increasingly rival the offerings of the region’s more fashionable names – harnessing modern technology to craft the best wines from each site, across their 100ha of vineyard, in Valpolicella and Garda.

By the end of 2019, Montresor will receive organic certification and a new range of organic wines will be released with the next vintage. Some of its wines are already bottled in a lighter weight glass bottle (less than 420g) to reduce carbon dioxide emissions during transport, with the added benefit of reducing the amount of glass to be manufactured.

Over the next two years, solar panels will be installed at the winery to provide some of the electricity required in the production process. Alongside this, Montresor is about to install a water purification system to recover and recycle the water used at the winery.

Vineyards

Produced from Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella grapes harvested from hillside vineyards north of Verona.

Vinification

‘Appassimento’ refers to the process by which the grapes are dried for a few months before being pressed and vinified – this technique is more common in the Veneto than elsewhere in Italy. In this instance the grapes are dried for 30 days before vinification, and the wine spends 6 months in oak. The resulting red is rich with some residual sweetness.

Tasting Notes

Authentic Veronese Appassimento from the classic Valpolicella varieties, predominantly Corvina, dried for 30 days and aged 6 months in oak.

Bright berry and black cherry aromas, and a touch of spice. The palate has all of Valpolicella’s appealing fresh cherry and ripe bramble fruit, along with added weight and complexity from maturation in oak. Supple tannins lead to a finish of delicate sweetness, offset by fresh acidity.

Great with barbecues, slow-cooked and caramelised meat dishes, or strong-flavoured cheeses.