Azienda Agricola Cá Lojera

Ca' Lojera means "The Ancient House of the Wolves". Our winery is located in the heart of the Lugana DOC white wine production zone, an area world famous f or the natural beauties of Lake Garda. All grapes are grown on our family's 14 hectare vineayard and our wines are produced to the highest standards: - in-house grape production and vinification - hand selection of grapes during harvest - wine extraction using pneumatic press - light maceration for enhanced bouquet temperature-controlled - fermentation low environmental impact (EEC reg.2078/92). … and when filling a glass of wine during the winter time – there should be a song for every glass to recall the autumn days, the vineyards and the winepress and the grapes… (K.Gibran) Ca’Lojera and Lugana “the Grand of the big lake” It is told, that once upon a time when the Garda Lake and the smaller Frassine Lake where connected by chanels, “black merchants” arrived on their boats from the north and used the houses along the water for hiding their smuggled merchandise, and some people swear that wolves did protect those hideaways. The “Ca’Loiera” estate of the Tiraboschi family, is therefore called “wolves’ house”. Only grapes from the 14 ha vineyards belonging to this estate are used in the production. White Lugana grapes grow on flat, argillaceous ground and on the hills red Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Franco Tiraboschi is the man of action and responsible for vine making, his wife Ambra is the host for guests who want to visit the cellars, which partly are located underneath lake level. Their daughter Alessandra is responsible for the San Benedetto selling point. Approximately 120.000 bottles of wine are produced every year, and sold on the national market through wine-bars, restaurants and special wine stores – and a good quantity is exported. Particularly precious are the “Monte della Guardia” wines – red from grapes from the hills, like Garda DOC Merlot, Garda DOC Cabernet Sauvignon – Garda DOC Chardonnay from old vines but especially the Lugana DOC, the Lugana Vigna Silva Riserva – refined in barrique and the Lugana Superiore – fermented in wooden 25 hl barrels with “batonnage”. During week ends it is possible to eat local specialities inside the estate. Soon the renovation of the old guest house, a 14th century construction which was used as summer residence by the Veronese bishops, shall be finished. There will be 8 guest rooms and a big hall for conventions and wine tasting.

Azienda Agricola Provenza

Provenza Estate was established in 1967 by Walter Contato. Its name is derived from the Provencal origins of the Contato family. The 12 hectares that made up the wine producing land of the Cascina Maiolo and Cascina Molino properties were increased to today's of approximately 45 hectars acreage while passionately remaining faithful to ancient traditions. Today the prestige of the Company is maintained by Fabio and Patrizia , Walter Contato's children, and his wife, Cesarina, after his early death in May 1996. The progress we have achieved has brought us to the pinnacle of the local wine-growing industry. The Provenza Estate or "Cà Maiol" lies in the heart of the zone known as "Lugana" very close to the peninsula of Sirmione, 1 KM from Lake Garda. Provenza Estate covers four vineyards: the primary one is called Maiolo and it includes cellars and offices too, the others are named Molino, Rocchetta and Storta. The story of ownership dates well back into the past. In fact, the name of the founder, the Desenzano Notary Sebastiano Maioli, and the year of foundation 1710 (MDCCX in Roman numerals) are carved on the entrance door of the main house. The white wine Lugana takes its name from a very small area of production, situated on the shore of Lake Garda, south of the Peninsula of Sirmione . The soil, unique of its kind in the world, is made up solely of a variegated combination of stratified clay, mainly calcareous, interspersed by a plain of micro-organic sedimentation rich in oxides and mineral salts of the last post-glacial geological era. Colour: a very pale straw with light green reflections. Bouquet: delicate fragrance with a sligth hint of spring peach and almond. Flavour: it is a dry, soft cool taste and unmistakable slightly salty freshness. When served cool, about 10°C (50° Fahrenheit), it is an optimum aperitif. Excellent with fish and white meat. The cultivation of the 45 Hectares of wineyards (production of about 400.000 bottles for yaer) is still traditional. All spray treatments are studied to "Prevent" the spread of diseases. This is possible with the use of high tecnology equipment such as: sophisticated wheater Station, a direct connection with the Meteosat Satellite and Radio Receiver connected to the International Meteo Center of Shannon in Ireland. The well-equipped modern cellars, are designed for maximum utilization of natural processes instead of chemical ones, so to save both unique properties and genuineness of these wines. Thanks to the high quality of its wines, the Provenza Estate has received many awards at both domestic and intenational level, such as: the Gold Medal in Bordeaux and the prestigious "Prix the Excellence" in Paris. The Exports reach all corners of the world but are mainly destined to North Europe, the U.S.A. and Japan. Provenza's wines are also on sale in some Duty Free Shops at international airports."

Azienda Agricola SALGARI F.LLI

The SALGARI wine cellar is located in the historic heart of the Valpolicella valley. This area is the most suitable for the production of "Valpolicella Classico" red wines. The Valpolicella wines are: Valpolicella Classico, Ripasso, Amarone and Recioto. Our cellar started cultivating vineyards over 170 years ago. Located in a small town named Negrar (near the city of Verona, north-east Italy), our cellar also has a small shop where you can taste and buy our products, along with locally produced red wines and "Colline di Moròn" Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Salgari wine cellar is in an ancient rural courtyard, located between Negrar and S.Vito, and is run by Giovanni, Luigi and Roberto Salgari. The company has 20 hectares of vineyards in the Valpolicella Classico zone, where it has been growing grapes and making wine using ancient methods for more than 170 years.

Valpolicella

This is an area in the province of Verona in northern Italy, just east of Lake Garda. This geographic area is famous for its wine production, especially Valpolicella Classico wine that is produced in the five historical “communes” of the Valpolicella valley: Negrar, San Pietro Incariano, Marano, Fumane and Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella.

Valpolicella's grapevines

-Corvina: Corvina is a wine grape variety used to make red wines that is sometimes also referred to as Corvina Veronese.
The blends include Rondinella, Molinara (and Rossignola for the latter wine). Other minors varieties are Croatina, Negrara, Càbrusina, Dindarella and Rossignola.

Azienda Agricola SOBRERO F. & F

The Azienda Vitivinicola Sobrero was established in 1940 by Francesco Sobrero, father of the current owners, Settimo and Pierfranco. It is located in Castiglione Falletto, heart of the Barolo area. It was on these hills, which have for many years been a choice zone for vine-growing, where Francesco dedicated a life of work, passion and sacrifice to his vineyards, producing the prestigious wines that can only be obtained from this land. As a testimony to his hard work, Francesco Sobrero has left behind, among other things, the tools for working in the cellars which his sons still use today, continuing to produce wine in a zone covering 16 hectares of vineyards. CASTIGLIONE FALLETTO The imposing castle that dominates the skyline is well-known in the surrounding area for its tall, round tower which make visible for away the town of Castiglione Falletto near Barolo, La Morra, Serralunga, Grinzane and other local villages which have for centuries competed to produce the best from what nature has to offer. It is on these slopes, among the most fertile in the Langhe, where the rows and rows of vineyards represent the combination of nature with the hard toil of man, and where he countryside seems to burst into life when the swollen bunches of ripe grapes are ready for picking in the late summer. By harvest time, the grapes are ready to give up their precious juice which, following various processes, becomes ready to show its true potential. The rituals of past times, even the famous trading process, have had to give way to more modern methods which are far better adapted to produce the best results. Mechanical systems – which are no less delicate than traditional methods –are used to separate the stalks and must. The wines which are not destined to be matured are kept in steel tanks where the temperature can be planned out and controlled based upon the needs of each particular wine. Those wines which are destined for a longer existence are conserved in traditional Slavonic oak barrels. In each case, whether it be Barolo, Nebbiolo or Dolcetto, the care and love shown by the Sobrero’s towards their wine has never changed. The Sobrero Company’s wines are made exclusively using grapes grown on the company’s own vineyards and based on the names of historic places, are named thus: Vigna Cascina Ornato Vigna Ciabòt Tanasio Vigna Villero Vigna Pernanno Vigna Piantà Vigna Valentino Vigna Amellea

BABITS

Botalcura

The word Botalcura means “large stone” in Mapundungun, the language of southern Chile’s indigenous Mapuche people. Symbolically, the image of something as hard and solid as rock speaks of the power of the gods and capable of withstanding time. Both of these ideas come together in the wines of Botalcura Winery. The indomitable yet generous power of nature, the source of the intense and concentrated vines that produces very high quality wines, combines with the certainty of transcending time, of making time an ally that will bear out the excellence of Botalcura Wines.

Viña Botalcura is the result of the passion of two men—one Chilean, one French, and both passionate about the small town of Botalcura and the wines they can make there.

Chilean businessman Juan Fernando Waidele met French winemaker Philippe Debrus in 2000, and their fate was sealed. Waidele was seduced by the enchanting Maule Valley countryside and Debrus longed to return to the hands-on style of winemaking he learned as a young winemaker in France. They began their project in 2000 and vinified their first wine in 2002.

Botalcura is a small village in southern Chile, 3 hours south of Santiago
and half an hour northeast of the city of Talca, set among rolling hills that the generous climate paints with a broad range of ever-changing colors throughout the year. Seduced by the rugged charm of the countryside, home to the elusive quail, we are inspired to build a future here. The simplicity of the village, which is scarcely more than a row of houses along one side of a dirt road, fills us with enthusiasm for sharing our dream of forming an exceptional winery with the local inhabitants. The purity of the environment reinforces our desire to give life to Botalcura Winery.

We built our winery in western Chile, near the Coastal Mountains, in the town of Botalcura, and have since become an essential part of the community where the El Delirio and La Porfia vineyards are planted. Our Reserve and Grand Reserve wines are named for these vineyards that were christened by the venerated residents of this land of promise.

Our winery was designed to reflect our desire to maintain the delicate harmony of the natural environment and the original buildings of the surrounding area. When we first came to Botalcura, we were struck by the beauty and imposing character of the local architecture that gracefully blends the richness and simplicity of the old colonial style buildings influenced by the ancient Spanish customs and we sought to reproduce these very concepts when we built our winery.

Botalcura Winery cares about sustainable development and is therefore founded upon three equally important essential components that must be taken into account to achieve a better future:

SOCIETY + ECONOMY + ENVIRONMENT = SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Botalcura Winery protects the community and nature and is also a competitive business.

Botalcura Winery is convinced that development must be fair and equitable and therefore allow people to satisfy their needs today without compromising the ability of future generations to do likewise. Obviously our children and grandchildren cannot do this if we consume all of the planet’s resources and leave them a polluted environment. The final goal is to have a better quality of life and a clean planet.

Certifications: HACCP/SGS - ISO 14,000
Carbon footprint: In process.

Candela

Cave Beaujolais de Saint-Verand

Domaine de la Sainte Vierge

Finca El Retiro

Finca El Retiro is an antique winery, result of the original work started by Don Enrico Tittarelli in 1915. His vision and philosophy, combined with modern technology and passion for the terroir, were the guidelines for our enologists and agronomist engineers, resulting in 1998, in the birth of the wines Finca El Retiro. Of an outstanding quality, with a smooth balance, well-structured and in harmony, these wines reflect the best of our region and express intensely traits of each of the varieties.

The building characteristics of the Winery allow us to achieve the quality needed for Premium and Super Premium wines, given its total capacity of ten and twelve thousand liters, which allow the ideal conditions for an excellent enological care.

Those who work hard in our vineyards, along with the pure iced-water from the Andes Mountains and the sun intensity of the Mendoza climate, all come together to deliver concentrated colors, aromas and unique tastes in each bottle.

Our challenge is to create the perfect balance between oak and fruit concentration in harmony, while maintaining the tipicity of each variety and its best characteristics. As a result, it is our pleasure to bring to you our four lines of wines: Finca El Retiro Barrel, Finca El Retiro Reserva Especial, Finca El Retiro Special Line and Pleno. Each line with its own differentiation and time in oak, in a quest for perfection while approaching the diverse world of our Consumers.

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Herederos del Marqués de Riscal

Hugo Casanova

At the end of the 19th century, coming from the North of Italy, the first members of Casanova family arrived to Chile with the purpose of going on in our country with the noble tradition of producing wines of excellence. Focussed in this, Eliseo Casanova purchased the estate "Batuco" and "Valle Hermoso" in Itata, where his dream began.

Later, his son Aldo, attracted by the excepcional weather of Maule Region, for the growth of grapevine, bought "Fundo Purísima", where he introduced French stump such as: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carménère, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc distributed in a total area of 100 hectares.

Years later, Mr. Aldo is succeeded by his son Hugo Eliseo, who takes the Enterprise. Subsequently, in 2000, Hugo Andrés, his son joins him to develop the concept "Wine Boutique", expanding their markets to Europe, Asia and America.

Putting tradition and technology together, and having as a base the optimum quality in soils, kind weather and the modern machinery is that they achieve to make wines of excellence being these awarded in the main World Wine contests.

Today Hugo Casanova Winery has a cellar with a storage capacity of 2.000.000 lt. and an annual production of about 1.300.000 lt. With four quality levels: Premium, Reserve, Varietal Plus and Varietal.

In 2006, in Paris, France, the Enterprise receives the most important award given for client satisfaction, leadership, innovation and prestige during all his trayectory. Star Quality International award is the pride to our work.

Laguiole

Marzadro

The roots of Distilleria Marzadro date back as far as 1949 in Brancolino di Nogaredo, in the heart of Vallagarina, in Trentino. It is a suggestive land, furrowed with vineyards carefully “cultivated” throughout the generations, that climb up towards the peeks of the mountains, starting at the bottom of the valley dotted by fruit trees. A pioneer start, characterised by tenacity, self-will and many promises, kept throughout the years. Attilio Marzadro is the protagonist of this story, together with his sister Sabina. He understood how to cultivate his land to its best in order to obtain, from his vineyards, the pomace more suitable for the distillation of Grappas, becoming the “proprietor” of this centurial art. Attilio Marzadro grew up in the mountains, and wanted to pass on to his children this precious inheritance made up not only of intuition, enthusiasm and passion but also of wisdom, experience and a deep love for the land and its culture.

The Marzadro family, now extended to three generations, kept its traditional inheritance intact with great commitment and professionalism, while seeking constant innovation. Behind this romantic aspect of recuperating and maintaining old traditions, Marzadro is in fact a dynamic company, continually up to date and evolving in order to exploit its potentials to a maximum as concerns preservation of the environment, while absolutely respecting the quality of the raw materials and processing systems.

100 days of uninterrupted work, 24 hours per day, from September to December, during which tons of freshly selected pomace is distilled each day. This pomace comes from the best autochthonous classical vineyards of Trentino, planted in soils where climatic conditions are optimal for their cultivation. The raw material is initially carefully selected and controlled by Andrea Marzadro. The pomace is brought to the Distillery wort-dripping to preserve the organoleptic characteristics of the vineyard of origin. In this manner, the fragrances and aromas are maintained, and then enhanced with efficient conservation systems, to keep the intensity intact. The distillation takes place in alembics using the traditional “discontinuous bain-marie” system belonging to the Trentino culture. The alembics are hand-made out of copper and, thanks to the properties of this metal, an excellent heat conductor, the characteristically peculiar fragrances and aromas are enhanced to their maximum. Each phase of the Grappa production is monitored through a computerised control system which does not allow the pomace to undergo sudden changes in heat, thus maintaining a constant temperature, which is what makes Marzadro Grappas so smooth and fragrant. Sophisticated technology and artisan care thus fuse harmonically to guarantee an absolutely superior quality level.

The quality of Marzadro Grappas is guaranteed by the Istituto Tutela Grappa del Trentino
(Institute for the protection of Trentino Grappa).

The Marzadro Grappas are distinguished for their difference in taste and aroma, all while representing finesse and personality, as common denominators of high quality products, obtained by the pomace of local classical vineyards. The Grappa is carefully analysed by the Istituto Tutela Grappa del Trentino, a competent official body guaranteeing the quality of the product, that has been created in 1968 in the Province of Trento with the goal to protect and promote real Trentino Grappa. The Institute is responsible for controlling the origin of the pomace and the production phases that guarantee the quality of the Grappa. The entire activity is carried out in collaboration with the Istituto Agrario San Michele all’Adige (Agricultural Institute of San Michele all’Adige) and the Chamber of Commerce of Trento that take care of respectively carrying out the laboratory and organoleptic exams, in order to certify the clearness, harmony of fragrances, smoothness and typical taste of the Grappa. Rigorous vigilance and control, therefore, that have conferred on Marzadro Grappas the title of certified high quality distillates, complying with all prescribed processes and respecting all required parameters. Proof of this qualities are also the multiple awards obtained by Marzadro on the occasion of important national and international events.

Middlevlei

The urban sprawl of Stellenbosch comes to an abrupt halt, in its south-western suburb of Onderpapegaai, when you enter the gates of Middelvlei. Suddenly, before you lies a beautiful vineyard-strewn amphitheatre overlooking the Bottelary Hills and the upper reaches of Devon Valley. This is the home of the Momberg family, who have been wine farmers since 1919.

Built in 1941, the Middelvlei cellar was extended in 1999 by the addition of a maturation facility for 900 small barrels. Although Tinnie shares his father’s firm belief in traditional winemaking methods, the cellar boasts a combination of both traditional equipment and new technology. New equipment includes a destemmer/crusher that gently removes the stems and crushes the berries to minimize hard tannins in the wine. Another new addition is a mash cooler to cool down the crushed berries before the fermentation process, therefore better preserving the fruit flavours. The wine is fermented in traditional open cement tanks, after which the malolactic fermentation process takes place in closed cement tanks.

Paolo Berta Distillerie

Reisten

Ribera del Duero

Schott Zweisel Kristalglass

SEGU

TREWA

VacuVin

Valderrama

Vina Requingua

Vina Ventisquero

Vina Ventisquero

Ventisquero first began production in 1998 and is currently managed by a youthful, creative and entrepreneurial team. Faithful to our slogan of going “A Step Beyond,” we make high-quality wines in a modern and cutting-edge style. We find ways to communicate our message in a manner that is both heartfelt and distinctive.

Instrumental in the construction of our new winery in the Maipo Coast in 2000 was Chief Enologist Felipe Tosso. This was the valley from where our first grapes were harvested and made into wine. Three years later, we ventured into the Casablanca Valley and the famous valley of Apalta, recognized today as the birthplace of Ventisquero’s most celebrated wines.

With estate vineyards located in Chile’s best winegrowing regions – the Maipo Coast, Casablanca and Colchagua – and rigorous research aimed at understanding terroir, our mission is to consistently deliver the finest quality in our wines.

Welcome to the Yali bird!

The Chilean winery Viña Ventisquero celebrated the start of the 2006 wine harvest back in Chile with a Chilean dinner and wine-tasting in a London penthouse suite across the river Thames from the Houses of Parliament. The dinner also marked the introduction of a new range of wines designed for the British off-trade under the name and label of Yali.

The Yali brand is named after the valley that is the home to a Ventisquero (Snowfield) winery and the wine is being marketed from the start with the European consumer in mind. Thus it joins those wines under the brand name Chileno launched three years earlier, which is already a leading Chilean brand sold in United Kingdom supermarkets and by wine merchants.

Yali is not only the name of the valley where the vineyard produces the wine, but is the name of a small and attractive finch which flies over much of Chile, as also on the other side of the Andes in neighbour Argentina. W.H. Hudson that great Anglo-Argentine naturalist of the last century saw the so-called Mourning Finch (Phrygilus fruticeti) as a very charming bird, tuneful, elegant in form, graceful and buoyant in its motions. The song of the male is very agreeable, and in bright weather its notes are heard all day long, while in autumn the Yalis unite in flocks of several hundred individuals.

Winemaker Alejandra Lozano over from Chile for this celebratory dinner hoped that the character of the Yali wines being offered would reflect this attractive bird and the excellent growing conditions of the Yali valley itself.

Viña Ventisquero has five main vineyards located across Chile, which allows its winemakers to take advantage of the different styles produced in each area, where in addition to the Yali valley its hectares are scattered through the Maipo, Rapel, Casablanca and Apalta valleys.

The Viña Ventisquero wine-tasting began with a choice between a Yali Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2005 and a Yali Merlot Rosé 2005. Your correspondent stuck with the Sauvignon Blanc to accompany a sequence of tasty Chilean village-bread canapés of black olive paste and Manchego cheese.

White wine continued with the starters of Choritos al vapor, Pacific mussels, and fresh salmon ceviche; moving up the scale to a very acceptable Grand Reserves choice of Yali Chardonnay 2003 and Sauvignon Blanc 2005. Your Correspondent Lovat Stephen, ever in search of alternatives to the too popular Chardonnay, gave full marks to the younger Yali Grand Reserve.

And then it was on to a truly representative choice of four kinds of empanadas, a national Chilean dish as it is also an Argentine one, perhaps best described to those who have not met them before as somewhat akin to Cornish pasties. In this case the fillings were either of red meat, spinach, Chilean seafood or fried cheese. Strictly in the line of duty Lovat Stephen sampled them all, accompanying his survey with the well-chosen red wines.

These were a Yali Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 and a Yali Grand Reserve Merlot 2003. Again, your correspondent particularly enjoyed the Merlot, while allowing that the Cabernet Sauvignon - tasted later at home - was equally worthwhile in the price-range at which it would sell.

A very solid traditional Chilean main course meal of a corn pie baked in the oven, with layers of minced meat, onions and roast chicken followed. The dinner was beginning to prove almost too much of a good thing for us urban wine-writers who had not spent hours in the saddle nor all day hand-picking grapes on an Andean hillside, and Lovat Stephen now almost regretted his own over-sampling of the truly excellent empanadas.

But the Chilean grape-variety which Lovat Stephen has been studying in depth of late is the Carmenèré; and it was a Yali Premium Carmenèré 2003 that accompanied the pie that commanded his worthwhile concentration.

In a sense he welcomes the attention being paid to Carmenèré in Chile, as a truly representative South American varietal, in the same way as Malbec represents the red wines of Argentina and Tannat those of Uruguay.

While accepting that all these varietals have their origins and some present-day presence in France - Carmenèré in a few places in Bordeaux, Malbec in Madiran and Tannat in Cahors to roughly generalise - he is a genuine advocate of the New World attention given grape varieties like these, particularly in South America.

Those accustomed to the Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots of France should make a point of trying these New World versions of accepted French grapes that might just be establishing a different "version" of the grapes mentioned. Indeed, those growing the locally-grown namesakes of their French ancestors, might even be dealing with truly new types. As a New Yorker might differ from an Englishman from Yorkshire, or a Chilean from a Frenchman from the Dordogne, so might the New World versions of their grapes differ from the original founder-members of those viticultural tribes.

For the Yali Premium Carmenèré 2003 was certainly a great wine in its own right, and was after all grown in a different terroir and brought up in a slightly different home atmosphere. Just a thought!

To finish, a Chilean milhoja thousand-flake pastry cake as a dessert was excellent with an offering of Reserva Pinot Noir 2004 to round off a most pleasant celebration of the 2006 harvest beginning in faraway Chile. May it all go well in the valley of the Yali in 2006.

Vinařství Veverka

Vinturi

De Carlo