Roman Villa in Negrar, updates

Roman Villa in Negrar, updates

Here is a quick update about the excavations at the Roman Villa in Negrar di Valpolicella (in this post we covered the news).

We were invited to a preview of the excavated archeological area, few hundred meters to the North-east of the Negrar village. A large Roman Villa is placed there, part of a residential and part of a farm with a possible area dedicated to a farm market. Some evidences suggest an established grape growing activity and a crushing and pressing place to produce wine.

Read More

The Valpolicella withering: next Intangible UNESCO Cultural Heritage?

The Valpolicella withering: next Intangible UNESCO Cultural Heritage?

Every wine lover who appreciates Amarone della Valpolicella, Ripasso, and Recioto della Valpolicella knows it: the secret behind all those successful wines is the technique of withering the grapes. This technique isn’t exclusive to Valpolicella: other Italian regions such as Sicily (Pantelleria mainly) or Lombardy, or even other countries (Spain, France) have been adopting it for centuries. However, the withering - appassimento - in Valpolicella is somehow different.

Read More

Valpolicella appellation: latest official data

Valpolicella appellation: latest official data

Here we are again: this 2021 also is going to be archived in a few days. How did the Valpolicella do this year?

According to the official press release, things are looking good for Valpolicella wines so far. The bottling is growing in double figures: + 16% in the first 10 months of this year compared to the same period in 2020. Amarone della Valpolicella is taking the lion's share (+30.2%, the equivalent of 15 million bottles in the first 10 months of the year), while Valpolicella Ripasso is at +14.7% and Valpolicella at +7.1%…

Read More

Viticulture in Valpolicella is 6,300 years old

Viticulture in Valpolicella is 6,300 years old

Valpolicella is one of the most important wine-producing areas in Italy; now we can claim is also among the oldest ones. Maybe the oldest one. The oldest grape in Valpolicella is 6,300 years old and comes from the prehistoric site of Colombare di Villa, Negrar di Valpolicella (VR), which was inhabited between the Neolithic and the Bronze Age.

Read More

A treasure underneath the vines

A treasure underneath the vines

Negrar di Valpolicella, 1885: some precious mosaics dating from the end of the 3rd-4th centuries AD are discovered in a vineyard called “Cortesele” and removed to being brought to a museum.
In 1922, excavations by the Superintendence of Verona brought to light part of a Roman villa with mosaic floors of considerable value. Unfortunately, the land’s owner buried the excavation, and the work was interrupted for many years…

Read More