Bertani

It’s rare when a simple vision has the power to span centuries. For Giovan Battista and Gaetano Bertani, they wagered that painstaking quality, not sheer volume, would be the future of Valpolicella wines. And they were, of course, right.

From their earliest days, the trailblazing Bertani brothers stood out for their entrepreneurial drive and innovative spirit, establishing the Bertani winery as one of the first in Italy to realize the value of bottled wine while also making huge investments in quality viticulture and winemaking. In fact, Gaetano’s friendship with Burgundy’s Dr. Jules Guyot afforded their young enterprise the benefit of his cutting-edge vineyard methodologies and vine training techniques — revolutionary at the time in Valpolicella. They were also one of the first Veronese producers to export their wines on a significant scale. Modern and forward thinking, even then.

Deeply traditional but always contemporary, Bertani is still at the forefront of what the Veneto can, and should, be. Their Soave was famously served at the coronation of King George VI in 1937. They also pioneered the production of Amarone della Valpolicella in the 1950s — then called Recioto della Valpolicella Amarone — before it was recognized as part of the young Valpolicella DOC in 1968 and well before the style was granted its own DOCG status in 2010. Always in pursuit of a terroir-driven wine that delivers power and verve while standing the test of time.

Bertani is propelled forward today by the innate dynamism of their talented vineyard and winery team who each live and breathe the essence of “Valpo” — a veritable treasure trove of (still largely undiscovered and uncatalogued) terroirs. This incredible territory gives rise to compelling wines of place with unrivaled elegance and longevity.

The winery’s impact on Veneto winemaking, particularly in Amarone production, is so considerable that “Bertani” and “Amarone” are nearly synonymous. As the senior statesman of Valpolicella, they remain dedicated to constant evolution, rooted in their rich heritage of innovation. From crafting the classic wines of the region — Amarone, Valpolicella, Ripasso, Soave — to their modern-day vision of officially elevating the top-sited plots to cru status, Bertani continues to push boundaries and will always define what it means to truly be Valpolicella.