2012 Le Ragose Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva Caloetto, Veneto – buy online

WHO?

In 1969, Arnaldo Galli, a winemaker, and his wife Marta began researching and experimenting with new techniques for grapevine cultivation and wine production. Today, their sons Paolo and Marco manage the family vineyard and continue to explore and experiment to consistently produce top-quality wines. The family’s dedication is focused on quality rather than quantity, with utmost respect for tradition while also keeping an eye on modern technologies, both in vineyard cultivation and in the cellar. Marta, Paolo’s daughter, is the third generation of the winery.

WHERE?

Located north of Verona, in the town of Negrar, at the highest point of the Valpolicella zone (350 m – 1,148 feet), the Le Ragose estate overlooks gentle, lush green hills. In 1969, winemakers Arnaldo Galli and his wife Marta purchased the 70-hectare Le Ragose estate, which was abandoned at the time. Recognizing that many excellent vineyard sites had been abandoned in favor of more easily cultivated plains, they replanted the Le Ragose vineyards and began producing Amarone and Valpolicella in the most natural way possible.

WHY?

The climate, soil, exposure, grape varieties, history, traditions, and the Le Ragose family perfectly embody the French concept of “terroir”, which represents quality production more than anything else. As confirmation that Le Ragose was indeed a particularly suitable place, documents were found in the following years proving the presence of vineyards at that location 400 years earlier. Sustainability is the foundation for grape cultivation and the most important requirement for respecting and protecting the ecosystem. To protect the environment, Le Ragose employs several practices, such as weed elimination and waste recovery to produce compost that can later be used as fertilizer. Additionally, to combat the main vineyard parasite, “Tignoletta,” they use the method of “sexual confusion control” in the vineyard.