La Cappuccina – So Much More Than Terroir
Just east of the historic city of Verona—about an hour’s drive from Venice—and named for Capuchin Friars who once worshiped there, sits ninety-five beautiful acres of vineyards know as La Cappuccina! This past September, I had the privilege of visiting and meeting the Tessari family there – fourth generation Italian siblings whose family has been producing magnificent wines since 1890 and BIOS certified wines since 1985.
The initial stop for our ABC wine team featured the beautifully restored 16th century chapel; its bell tower silhouette now represents La Cappuccina’s logo. From there, it was onto the vineyards where we got a closer look at the inviting Garganega grape vines—anticipated to be harvested within the next few weeks.
Among many of the components that make La Cappuccina so unique, so natural, so basic, is its soil. Sisto Tessari, head agronomist (agriculturist) takes great pride in producing wines using the Vento based certification for organic farming that improves the overall health of the land he is cultivating. He showed us the lavic basalt rocks that contribute potassium, phosphorus, manganese, iron, zinc and calcium to enrich the polyphenols (healthy antioxidants) of the grapes. He explained how La Cappuccina’s terroir—set 260 feet above sea level with a south easterly sun exposure—amplify and enrich the soil as the driving force behind making their distinctive wines speak.
From there, it was onto the fermentation area where we met Pietro Tessari. As the head oenologist (winemaker), Pietro is dedicated to practicing the biodynamic theory of winemaking using—among many practices—minimal use of sulfur dioxide, a state-of-the-art filtration system, bottling following different moon phases, a naturally conditioned underground cellar for aging, and using bottles 20% lighter than the average. A fresh, delightful taste from one of their steel fermentation tanks of Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc rounded out the fermentation tour.
Next, we had the honor of meeting Sisto and Pietro’s sister Elena, who handles all the marketing and PR aspects of the business. An elegant simple lunch menu was to follow as we tasted seven of La Cappuccina’s selected wines from the grapes which they are regionally known for—Garganega, Trebbiano di Soave, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmenere and Oseleta. Four of their wines—Madego, Soave (100% Garganega), Nadia Bianco, and Pinot Grigio—are all available for purchase in most of Florida’s ABC Fine Wine & Spirits locations. The family worked in concert to prepare and serve the lunch on their own from foods grown on the estate. We were treated to an amazing sampling of many authentic foods, consisting of freshly sliced figs topped with savory goat cheese, rustic hard-crusted homemade Italian bread with salami, crisp breadsticks wrapped in prosciutto, and a scrumptious homemade polenta with bacala fish!
Our final stop included an interesting visit to the Museum Di Bolca, just north of the vineyard estate. There, Sisto was proud of the fact that Northern Italy has something very special in common with us in of Florida—53 million year old fossils of tropical fish! That evening was capped off with a wonderful diner and walking tour in historic Verona as a thank you from the entire Tessari family.
I will not soon forget my short time spent at La Cappuccina and everything I learned there about organic wines; the special terrior in this Vento region and its simple beauty and charm. But for what it’s worth, I will always remember the Tessari family first. About how their passion for the environment, respect for the grapes and love of family all seem to find their way into and onto each bottle of wine that eventually makes its way around the world ready to be served, savored and enjoyed by all!
If you are interested in learning more aboutLa Cappuccina’sorganic winemaking practices or if you’d like more information about their wines,please visit their website at www.lacappuccina.it. Even better yet, stop into any one of our ABC Fine Wine & Spirits locations and purchase a case of La Cappuccina organic wines!
Ciao Bella!
Bonnie Yapello
Wine Consultant, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits Cape Coral
Follow me on twitter @abcwinebonnie
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