Campagnola Villa Rocca Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2014
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The initiative of Carlo and Caterina was inherited by Giuseppe, one of the ten children, who together with his brothers purchased in 1926 "L'Antica Osteria ai Portoni Borsari" in Verona offering the wines produced by the family farm.
In the 1940s, with the outbreak of the Second World War, he moved with his children, Giancarlo and Luigi, to the current location in Valgatara, where he continues and develops the production and selection of Veronese Classic wines. Giuseppe acquires most of the vineyards from the brothers and continues his journey with the aim of creating a high-quality product. Thus the current company began to take shape and the historic barrel cellar was built, where the most traditional Valpolicella reds are still refined today. Luigi, as a boy, decided to continue the family wine business. After reaching the age of majority, he initially dedicated himself to delivering wine in the area and bought the first truck: during this period, he met the different customers and developed his "commercial spirit" by expanding the clientele who appreciated Campagnola wines.
In the 70s, he had the intuition to combine the production of high quality wines with that of "good everyday wine", responding to the needs of a market that is constantly growing. Thus, began the rise of the company, which also added provincial and regional wines to its local production, meeting the favor of the market, also abroad, and in particular in Europe.
In 1979 the young Giuseppe joined the company, who together with his father and sisters Antonella and Monica, now leads Giuseppe Campagnola Spa. After a first production experience, Giuseppe dedicated himself to commercial development in the Italian and foreign market while his father Luigi personally followed all stages of production, in particular the selection of grapes in the vineyard and the most important and delicate drying phase to obtain the prestigious Recioto and Amarone. Since the beginning of the 90s the market is increasingly oriented towards high-end products: Campagnola, thanks to its experience and production capacity, focuses its efforts on the production of the great red wines of Valpolicella inspired by excellence.
They have proudly reached the fifth generation. Luigi Campagnola has transmitted with enthusiasm and constant dedication to children and grandchildren, the bond with their land, the love for the vineyard and the wine, the commitment and constant dedication to the art of winemaking, sure of how these characteristics, transmitted in more than one hundred years of history, they can continue to live from generation to generation.
Today the Campagnola company follows the cultivation of the vineyards, selects the grapes and actively collaborates with over 50 winemakers of the most suitable vineyards of the municipality of Marano di Valpolicella for an extension of about 80 hectares. It also has 30 hectares in the Classical Bardolino area, 25 hectares in Mortegliano in Friuli Venezia Giulia and collaborates with the wine growers in the Soave area for about 20 hectares.
Montepulciano is the second most planted red variety in Italy after Sangiovese, though it is achieves its highest potential in the region of Abruzzo. Consistently enticing and enjoyable, Montepulciano enjoys great popularity throughout central and southern Italy as well. A tiny bit grows with success in California, Argentina and Australia. Somm Secret—Montepulciano is also the name of a village in Tuscany where, confusingly, they don’t grow the Montepulciano grape at all! Sangiovese shines in yet another Tuscan village, here making the reputable wine called Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
A warm, Mediterranean vine-growing paradise, in Abruzzo, the distance from mountains to seaside is relatively short. The Apenniness, which run through the center of Italy, rise up on its western side while the Adriatic Sea defines its eastern border.
Wine composition tends to two varieties: Abruzzo’s red grape, Montepulciano and its white, Trebbiano. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo can come in a quaffable, rustic and fruity style that generally drinks best young. It is also capable of making a more serious style, where oak aging tames its purely wild fruit.
Trebbiano in Abruzzo also comes in a couple of varieties. Trebbiano Toscana makes a simple and fruity white. However when meticulously tended, the specific Trebbiano d’Abruzzo-based white wines can be complex and long-lived.
In the region’s efforts to focus on better sites and lower yields, vine acreage has decreased in recent years while quality has increased.