Tedeschi and the history of Valpolicella

The Tedeschi family’s presence in Valpolicella and their winemaking roles. Learn about the area’s fundamental wine family putting Valpolicella on the wine map.

By Andrea Grignaffini
Feb 18, 2021
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ITALIAN WINE MAKING IN THE HISTORY
 

The identity of Italy in a wine perspective can be identified by its companies, its families, and its deeply-felt emotional bonds that come before its entrepreneurial spirit.  In the story before us, you’ll see these elements reflected strongly, a story beginning in the local Italian registry office when the Tedeschi family name was regisgtered in 1630.   

The Tedeschi family, despite their clear Teutonic origins, passionately identify with the facets of the autochthonous Italian vines, especially those found in the Veneto area.  Here we find the Corvina, Corvinone Rondinella and Oseleta varietals, as well as the Molinara, Refosco, Raboso, and Garganega vines.  Not to be overlooked are the older varietals of Dindarella, Negrara, Rossignola and Forsellina, which distinguish themselves in this area with their exquisite sense of territorial belonging.
 

 

TEDESCHI WINE-MAKING HISTORY STARTS 100 YEARS AGO

The year was 1913 when patriarch Riccardo Tedeschi bought what would become the family’s the first vineyards, planted then in the Monti Olmi and Fontana areas. History demands that we wait until the 1960s, for Lorenzo Tedeschi and his incredible foresight that would forever change the course of the Tedeschi company’s history.  Lorenzo envisioned that it would be precisely in Monte Olmi that a separate vinification would occur, leading the way for the development of Valpolicella Cru wines.

Not entirely satisfied with this innovation, in 1964 Lorenzo takes action to consolidate his family’s position as winemakers central to the success of the wine region, a sort of terroirisme ante litteram.  Lorenzo’s decision will ultimately lead to the evolution of the Valpolicella area into its role today as a prized wine region, as well as solidify the Tedeschi’s reputation as being forward thinking wine producers.  Lorenzo’s decision:  they’ll modify their wines labels and will feature the name of the vineyard prominently on the label. Amazingly, up until this decision, simple identification wasn’t par for the course, and this step forward was viewed as ground-breaking within the Italian enological consciousness.
 

 

TODAY’S TEDESCHI FAMILY STILL RUNS THE SHOW

The Tedeschi winery, with its four centuries of viticultural tradition backing it up, is run today by all members of the Tedeschi familySabrina, head of marketing and exports, Riccardo, who while an expert enologist also assists Sabrina with marketing and exports,  Antonietta who overseas Administration and internal sales, and Lorenzo, the pioneer of the contemporary Tedeschi family, who supervises the production process from start to finish.
 

 

THE CONTEMPORARY TEDESCHI FAMILY IDENTITY

What does the modern-day Tedeschi identity look like?  If you ask the Tedeschi family, the answer lies in a blend of experience and technology.  The Tedeschi approach to wine-making calls upon the family’s clear successes and history, which is where the family’s material and immaterial expertise comes from.

As we are in the center of Pedemonte, a few kilometers from Verona and in the heart of Valpolicella Classica, a strong farming tradition is ever-present, reflecting the territory’s heritage.  The Tedeschi family, like many other wine makers in this region, abide by the omni-present natural elements, and base their vineyard selections on how the grapes will interact with the soil and terroir hosting them.  The ancient local adage is a shining example of this agronomic philosophy:  as the vine said to the farmer, “make me poor, and I will make you rich.”
 

 

WHAT DOES THE CONTEMPORARY TEDESCHI WINE MAKING PHILOSOPHY LOOK LIKE?

The soils for the Valpolicella area grapes are hilly and poor, but this produces more complex, structured wines that are capable of expressing tremendous grace and elegance.  It’s with a similar elegance and grace that the Tedeschi family, through their own DNA and roots in the Valpolicella area, continue their contributions to the areas landscapes and territorial heritage.

The Tedeschi family continues today to invest in the winery’s future, with recent research in the fields of zoning and identification and characterisation of the estate’s lands and plots.  The Tedeschi family has also made massive investments into the development and refinement of the winery’s fruttaio (drying room).  It’s precisely here that the family hopes to breathe new life into the Recioto della Valpolicella, the fabled Passito wine produced exclusively in the Valpolicella wine region.

Further investment has been made into the Tedeschi’s Amarone wines which have been identified and divided into two unique Riserva versions, La Fabriseria and Capitel Monte Olmi.


 

Love the Valpolicella wine area, and curious about some other Northern Italian regions?  Don’t miss an in-depth look into the Valtènesi wine region, as explored by two expert Mamablip food and wine reporters, Andrea Grignaffini and Lele Gobbi.  Grignaffini explores what makes the Valtènesi and Lake Garda areas so special, and Gobbi takes a closer look instead wines of Valtènesi region for a closer look at these Italian excellencies.

For even more info, be sure to check out the Valtènesi Wine Corsortium page to learn what this organization is doing to promote the excellent local wines throughout Italy and the world.

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