The Dal Cero family has been producing wine for over three generations, sure in the knowledge of combining a love of tradition with the modern winemaking techniques necessary for the production of great wines. Davide, Nico and Francesca – the new generation – manage the company estates in Tuscany and the Veneto, looking after everything from the vineyard to the bottle. The results are wines with a unique character – authentic and traditional with a touch of modernity.
Tenuta Corte Giacobbe, in Roncà, not far from Verona in the Veneto, is where it all began when Augusto Dal Cero, the grandfather of the generation which currently leads the company, started the business in 1934.
The location is within one of the new cru vineyard sites on the slopes of the Lessini mountains, the “Roncà – Monte Calvarina” UGA (Unità Geografica Aggiuntiva) in Soave. Two extinct volcanoes near the estate, Calvarina and Crocetta, are the reason for the particular quality of the wines here. The soil, in general, is composed of volcanic lava and tuff, rich in micro-elements that give the grapes their character, thereby producing wines with superior bouquets, attractive minerality and delicious sapidity.
The flagship of the estate is the Runcata Soave Superiore, the company’s premier wine, marked as such with the name 1er on the label. Grapes for this wine are selected rows of Garganega, originally planted in the Runcata vineyard, 400 meters above sea level, by Augusto in 1935, shortly before his departure for the war in Africa.
The second wine is Soave Corte Giacobbe, made for freshness, but with the attractive body and minerality that’s typical of wines from this estate.
The Dal Cero family is a pioneer in the production of wines from this area in Soave, and has created its place in the market with wines that are unique and full of character.
Nico Dal Cero
The search for something different and unique, while belonging to a recognisable tradition, has propelled the Dal Cero family also into Tuscany. Tenuta Montecchiesi, in Cortona, has belonged to the family since 1980. The grapes grown are mainly Syrah and Sangiovese, flanked by white varieties such as Vermentino.
Syrah flourishes naturally in the Cortona DOC, where it finds a natural habitat. Specialising in this grape, the new generation of the Dal Cero family has decided to focus on the production of high quality rosé wines, so that Tenuta Montecchiesi now produces: Camely, a bottle-fermented sparkling wine; Miraly, an intriguing rosé; and Versy, a riserva wine made of bush-trained Syrah grapes given a spell in oak barrels: a unique rosé wine of its kind.
Personality is what marks out the wines of the Dal Cero family, which are perhaps a style even before they are a brand.
