AIS Lombardia and Sara Missaglia hosted a very interesting wine event in Varese, where Terre di Ger and Marcel Zanolari presented and discussed their wines side to side.

Marcel Zanolari’s wines are true works of art. He mixes biodynamic, ancient jars, and innovation in the vineyard, selecting rare varieties from Switzerland with the help of breeding-guru Valentin Blatter. On the other side of the table were Terre di Ger wines, coming from a territory devoted to wine-making and considered the cradle of wine-making innovation in Italy.

On one side Marcel’s expertise and his on going improvement of winemaking techniques, on the other side our very own Terre di Ger, trying to evolve the local tradition we all started from.

Sara did a great job: as a journalist and wine enthusiast she presented PIWI wines to the audience, described resistant grape varieties and their evolution after multiple breeding, and finally presented the wines of both wineries, describing their origin and all their scents and characteristics.

Robert Spinazzè has once again stated our strong belief in innovation as a necessary process in a Region where tradition has been so important till now. Terre di Ger tries to make consumers’ taste evolve, keeping an eye on the ethics of our work and on sustainability. We need to get rid of dogmas and make wines that represent our winery, so that we can be remembered for the wine we produce. This is Robert Spinazzè’s goal.

Luca Gonzato, who has been studying wines made from resistant grape varieties in Italy for many years, was a special guest and discussed with us many innovations in this field. We discussed past and present research on these wines, also considering what the future will bring.

Umberto Rosanelli, ONAV instructor, has highlighted the qualitative gap between wines obtained from white grape varieties and those obtained from red grape varieties: the former ones are the result of a longer experimental phase in the nursery, followed by an earlier production in the Alps, where the terroir is not ideal for growing red grape varieties. In general, Umberto added, the quality of wines obtained from resistant grape varieties has been improving a lot, and the range of different products has also expanded.

Marketing is also important and the knowledge about this wines needs to be spread among the general public. That’s exactly what these events are helping to achieve, also thanks to the work of experts such as Sara Missaglia, Luca Gonzato and Umberto Rosanelli.

Summer is the time for wine guides and contests awards. These are important moments for our winery, when we can challenge ourselves and get an idea our wines’ quality.

Gilbert&Gaillard International Challenge for registered wines is a good example.

Our winery is already well known for PIWI wines, but we’re still located in a territory where traditional grape varieties are widely recognized for their oenological quality.

All our three classic red wines, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Refosco have received a Golden Medal Award. The same award has been given to our three whites, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Sauvignon Blanc. This is the result of our team work, and we are happy that our activities both in the field and in the winery have been recognized. We also would like to say thank you to all the people that help us harvesting our grapes and bringing them safely to the winery for vinification.

Let’s take a look at Merlot 2021 IGP TreVenezie, this is how it has been praised by Gilbert&Gaillard.

« Red ruby wine with purple nuances. On the nose a scent of red and black berries, with vegetal notes. On the palate fruity aroma of blackberry and wild cherry, tannins later grow and grow gradually. Well paired with roasted meat dishes. » . We see it paired with barbecued meat, while we enjoy the evening sitted in the open air.

May is the month dedicated to Giro d’Italia, and our companies have been supporting Team Bora-hansgrohe for years now. Last year, Jai Hindley won the Giro, and we celebrated his victory both in our winery and in Germany. Repeating the same success this year was very hard to expect, but despite the two most representative riders had to withdraw during the first week due to illness, our team gained success in two stages with the same rider, Nico Denz. Lennard Kamna also classified in the top 10 overall on the final stage.

Two stages have been the most intense for us, when the Giro arrived in Caorle and started from Oderzo the day after. This is our land, and the cheering supporters came to visit our winery and meet us on the vineyards along the road.

We have met many fans, both experts and passionate cycling supporters who came to visit us to exchange their views and have a glass of wine.

Journalists also stopped by to have a sandwich and drink a glass of Prosecco. We were particularly happy to meet with Eurosport journalist Iliana Lazzaro.

A former cyclist herself, she is so passionate about this sport, and now works as a reporter and commentator of cyclocross and women cycling races.

She’s always happy to come to our land and took the occasion of the race start in Oderzo to come to visit us, and tell us many funny anecdotes about the Giro. Our winery was all dressed in pink, we presented our BORA COOKING SYSTEM bottle collections and the pink jersey from last year.

January is the time of the year in which we plan the future and write down new projects and initiatives for our winery. But we also would like to look back at 2022 and take all the good things that are now pushing us towards the future.

Terre di Ger has been reinforcing its position as “resistant” winery thanks to the six Piwi Wines on the market. Rufini Bio Sparkling, a blend of Sauvignier Gris and Bronner, is the latest new entry to our wine selection. Our wines ratings have been growing the whole year gaining important awards in many wine contests. Mach Foundation’s PIWI Wines Contest, in San Michele all’Adige, awarded our Feltro Bianco 2021 as the best absolute wine, while Caliere Rosso 2020 has been awarded as top red wine. Our Caliere Rosso 2020 gained a Grand Gold Medal at the PIWI Wine Award International, while Arconi Bianco 2020 and Feltro Bianco 2020 both gained a Gold Medal in their categories. We look at all these awards with great satisfaction, because all these achievements keep bringing our winery to a new level and give continuity to our project.

Local wines from Friuli are still among our classics and keep getting good ratings. For example Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso has been described by Il Golosario as distinctive of the “the balance between tannins and acidity with good aromatic ending.”

Good wines are the result of good work in the fields, where the vineyards are managed properly the whole year, starting from the very first spring buds. We are now certified Organic growers and are working toward the Integrated Production Standard (SQNPI) for our conventional vineyards. This is our response to the necessity of environmental protection and sustainable agriculture.

Our new, fully organic vineyards are taking shape in Feltre, in the Dolomites. After the Pinot Noir vineyard, we are now completing our farm with a new Solaris vineyard, the most famous PIWI variety suitable for mountain climate. Solaris kissed by the sun isPIWI International’s slogan. On San Fermo hill, in the village of Villaga, the sun shines and warms the whole farm’s 4 ha since early morning.

Solaris vines are vigorous, strong, and suitable to mountain climate. The vineyard planting layout is 2,80X1,20 m. The wine obtained from this grape variety is characterized by refined flower and fruit scent, tropical fruit and citrus aromas enriched by a pleasant acidity. 

We picked Solaris grape variety in order to complete our selection of resistant grape varieties ranging from white grape Bronner, Sauvigner Gris, Soreli, Sauvignon Kretos and  Sauvignon Rythos to red grape Merlot Khorus and Merlot Kanthus, Cabernet Eidos and Cabernet Prior.

Pinot Noir from the Dolomites is the most elegant and noble wine which could not be missing from our wine farm.  It is as if the sun kissing Solaris grapes went through Pinot Noir’s colour, whose clearnes is the most distinctive feature. The wine’s aromas include vegetable scents, mint and dill, red fruits such as cherry and strawberry. 

Step by step we will be telling you about flowering, ripening and harvest.