Producer
Terrapieno was created by a group of friends in Verona who have worked together for over 20 years. Matt Thomson makes the wines while Luca Degani of Cantina Valpantena and Gaetano Tobin of Cantina Monteforte provide the grapes from some of their best sites. “We all make a lot of very good wine in Verona, but Terrapieno is an opportunity for us to make wines from single sites that represent the best of what Verona can do,” explains Matt Thomson. Terrapieno means ‘full earth’. It is a type of construction historically used in northeastern Italy, an accumulation of earth to reinforce walls and fortifications. The Castello di Montorio in the Valpantena is a fine example.
Vineyards
Grapes for this wine come from a predominantly flat, single vineyard site close to the hills of northern Verona, at an elevation of 100-300 metres above sea level. The soils here are medium-textured.
Vinification
After harvest, the grapes were brought to the winery, crushed and destemmed before fermentation at 22-28°C. After fermentation, the wine underwent a second fermentation on Amarone skins. Ageing took place in oak casks.