Cristiana Meggiolaro - Ronca’, Italy

Cristian and Riccardo from our most recent visit.

NEW ORGANIC ARRIVALS

FROM MEGGIOLARO IN THE VENETO
 

WHITE WINE! We are all in search of it, especially in these warmer months. We ask it to whet our whistle, to agree with our fishes, to shoo away the heat, to be effortless. We are also looking for white wine that expresses a place, and a way of living, a grape with history.

White wine lovers rejoice: Meggiolaro gives all we ask (at a very low price!). Cristiana and Riccardo make their wine in the Ronca’ hills from nearby vines (east of Verona in Northern Italy’s Veneto region). Their winemaking invokes the volcanic tumult sleeping under the surface of the ground. In the bright, exuberant wines, you also find the roiling texture of black lava found in the local hills.

On our last visit to Meggiolaro in their very small mountain town near Brenton. It was the coolest, rainiest May Italy has seen in nearly 15 years, but on that day the hospitality of Brenton was warm -- we met not only Riccardo and Cristiana but a friend of theirs who helps them produce sopressa. It felt like from every stone building - just a few of them - emerged a smiling face. In the village of Brenton, it's common to drink the white wines made from Garganega with the rich sopressa. This gives you an idea of how versatile the wines are with a variety of foods. The powerful volcanic influence on the wines makes them worthy companions to even hearty dishes, as well as for sipping at any time.

Cristiana and Riccardo (Riccardo grew up in neighboring Roncà) are, in their words "more than organic" farmers. They farm only 3 hectares of vineyard giving meticulous attention to each vine, planting to maximize airflow and receive favorable daytime sunlight. In the cellar they use stainless steel and old oak and add only a pinch of sulfur, never filtering or adjusting the wines in any way.
 
After traveling and visiting winemakers across the Veneto for over a decade, we're convinced the two finest producers in zone - the most true home of the Garganega grape, star of the handful of truly superb whites of next door Soave - are Cristiana Meggiolaro and Giovanni Menti in the nearby Gambellara area. 

(LB)

Click on each wine for more detail.