Az. Agr. Gini Sandro e Claudio

A FAMILY STORY

The historical presence of the Gini family as winemakers in the Monteforte d'Alpone area dates back to around 1500.
A purchase document dated 1852 testifies to Giuseppe Gini's acquisition of a vineyard in a place called Salvarenza, where the family had already owned land since the 18th century.
Olinto Gini started managing the winery after the death of his father Giuseppe when he was just sixteen years old. He became one of the founders of the Soave Consortium and the Social Winery, and a master winemaker so skilled that he passed on his abilities and great passion to his children.
Only in the early 1980s did our company begin bottling.
Sandro and Claudio Gini, along with their families, have been managing what is not just a business, but a passion for several years.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

Our idea is that nature should be both obeyed and governed at the same time.
The experience is crucial since each vintage is different and every harvest needs to be interpreted in an original way.
In our work, we believe it is important to “let the grapes speak.” Our job is to know how to listen to them. Once they arrive at the winery, tradition and innovation work together to create high-quality wines.
After Olinto, we work with maximum commitment to restore the reputation of Soave as one of the best white wines in Italy.

ORGANIC

One of the reasons our vines remain healthy is that organic farming methods have always been used. Vines age faster when treated with chemicals. Old vines produce less fruit, but it is very well balanced.
In 1985, Sandro had the courage to make a radical decision. He was the first producer in northern Italy to vinify white wines without using sulfites.
When he recounts this experience, he always begins with “Back then, everyone thought I was crazy,” but his colleagues could not believe the results obtained.
Since 2015, they have enjoyed organic certification from the vineyard to the winery:

- The vines are not chemically "forced," but maintain a low production with less fruit, and the natural cycles of the vineyards are respected;
- No insecticides or herbicides are used, but instead, specific plants are planted in the corridors between the rows of vines;
- All the grapes are harvested at the right moment of ripeness, meaning the vines are passed through multiple times;
- Only indigenous yeasts are used in the winery;
- No chemicals are used. Instead, methods such as “sexual confusion” are chosen in the vineyard.

This, along with the different microclimates, helps to extend the longevity of the vineyard, surpassing 120 years.

THE COMPANY TODAY

The vineyard property covers 50 hectares, divided between the classic Soave Doc area (in Monteforte) and the eastern Valpolicella Doc area (Campiano - Cazzano di Tramigna).
Many single tanks allow for the vinification of each vineyard separately. The individual wines are then tasted and selected for the best blending of Soave Classico.

WINERY AND VINEYARDS IN MONTEFORTE

In the historic center of Monteforte, the underground winery (excavated in the volcanic rock, typical of the Soave area) was built in several phases from the 1980s to the late 1990s using only local materials. What we can admire today is the result of the hard work of two men and a strong passion.
This rock, particularly difficult to work and shape, has nonetheless provided incredible functionality. The winery enjoys a constant temperature and a unique humidity that favors the aging of wines in wood and bottle.
The vineyard property covers 35 hectares, and all the vineyards are located on hills, so water flows and penetrates the soil but does not stagnate and dries quickly. This way, many risks of diseases and fungi on the plants and, consequently, on the fruit are avoided.
Thus, great aging white wines are born, capable of extraordinary evolution and longevity, maintaining the acidity and minerality that characterize them, using 100% Garganega grapes.

WINERY AND VINEYARDS IN CAMPIANO (TENUTA SCAJARI)

Located at 500 m above sea level, it stands on an ancient prehistoric sea whose stratified red rocks (scaje in dialect), over 65 million years old, form the walls.
The three levels of the facility allow for visits to the fruit drying room for the grapes, the wooden tank room for vinification, and the underground part with the barrels for aging.
The project was born from an idea of Sandro Gini, after a trip to Burgundy, to recover an abandoned piece of land that shared many characteristics with the French soils, and in 2010 the construction of the estate began.
We can also find outcrops of volcanic rock mixed with abundant clay (45/55%), which are important for the quality of the wines.
The property has about 15 hectares of vineyards where Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, and Molinara are cultivated for Valpolicella and Amarone.