In northern Italy, a ‘Brolo’ is a walled vineyard similar to a French ‘Clos’. Cantina Valpantena directly farms three Broli comprising 13 hectares of vines. One lies in the heart of the Valpantena Valley while the other two are in Montorio, on the Val Squaranto side. Stefano Casali, Valpantena’s head agronomist, manages these vineyards and has introduced reduced spraying, carefully controlled water consumption and the elimination of weed killers. The knowledge and results that Stefano gains from these vineyards are then used to advise other Valpantena growers on their viticulture. These efforts have been formally recognised through accreditation for all the Broli vineyards with VIVA Sustainable Viticulture certification

The grape varieties grown in the Broli are Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella, trained using the traditional ‘Pergola Veronese’ method. The grapes are hand-picked to ensure only the best quality fruit is used for the Brolo dei Giusti wines. Cantina Valpantena’s winemaking team, led by Luca Degani, is involved in all stages of vinification. The Valpolicella Superiore is made partly from dried grapes. It spends 12 months in large Slavonian oak and two years in cement tanks, resulting in a beautiful, bright palate with great acidity and structure. After drying for 12 weeks, the Amarone grapes are pressed in late December. Following fermentation, the wine is aged for 36 months in a combination of French and Slavonian oak of different sizes. This resulting wine has serious depth, concentration and complexity and is, deservedly, the flagship wine of this successful and quality-oriented cooperative.