Guerrieri-Rizzardi is family-owned estate in Bardolino in Verona Province in the Veneto region of Italy. It makes Soave AOC and Soave Classico AOC white wines. Red wines include Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG Classico, Bardolino Classico DOC, Rosso Veronese IGT, Valpolicella DOC Classico and Valpolicella Ripasso DOC Classico Superiore.
Family history: The Guerrieri family were active in the liberal professions in Verona at the beginning of the 17th century. They gradually invested in land in Valdadige, south of Verona and towards Lake Garda, for agriculture and forestation. In 1791 Count Vincenzo Guerrieri married Teresa Rambaldi, and he developed the wine and olive business in the inland areas of Bardolino. The estate remained in the family until the last descendant, Giuseppina Guerrieri, married Carlo Rizzardi.
The Rizzardi family was originally from Maderno in Lombardy. From the San Marco district of Verona, where they were successful merchants, they expanded by purchasing various properties, including Pojega in Negrar di Valpolicella, which was acquired by Count Carlo Rizzardi in 1649. At that time activities in Negrar included arable land, herbariums, forest management, viticulture, olive growing and cultivation of fruit trees. The development of the wine business in Negrar expanded in the 1800s when further land and vineyards were purchased in Calcarole, Rovereti and Tomenighe.
In 1913, with the union of the two families the name Guerrieri-Rizzardi was created, and the first vintage with that label was in 1914. After the second world war Count Antonio Rizzardi managed and developed the farms, moving from polyculture to growing grapes in a more progressive way. The Soave estate was purchased in the 1970s and included the cellar located in the rural village of Costeggiola, where the grapes from the vineyards are still vinified. Upon the death of Antonio in 1983, his wife Maria Cristina Rizzardi Loredan found herself managing the entire business, which she expanded with new vineyards and wines, applying the concept of ‘Cru’ as a mark of quality that was restricted to a well-defined vineyard. She became President of the Garda Oil Protection Consortium in 1984, and obtained the recognition of the extra virgin olive oil in Garda DOP and in 2010 she was awarded Cavaliere del Lavoro by the President of the Italian Republic.
The third generation joined the company from the late 1990s, with Giuseppe, Orsola, Olimpia and Agostino Rizzardi.
Vineyards
The Bardolino estate developed from the 12th century under the leadership of the Rambaldi family. In the second part of the XVIII century, Agostino Guerrieri (1749 – 1833) married Maria Teresa Rambaldi, the last descendant of the Rambaldi and therefore the properties passed to the Guerrieri and eventually to the Rizzardi.Today the Bardolino estate houses the headquarters of Guerrieri-Rizzardi. The vineyards (45 hectares) and the cellar are located in Bardolino, the centre of the DOC Classic area. The Guerrieri Rizzardi vineyards are located in two of the six municipalities in the Classic area: Bardolino and Cavaion, both located on the hills of the eastern shore of Lake Garda. The vineyards are located at an altitude of between 70 and 190 meters above sea level. There are 35 different plots with a plant density between 2,000 and 5,000 plants per hectare. The red grapes grown are Corvina, Rondinella, Sangiovese, Merlot and Ancellotta. The white grapes are Garganega, Cortese and Moscato Bianco. The soils are partially sandy, some more pebbly and with a greater presence of limestone. The climate is temperate, mitigated by the proximity of the lake. Wines: Munus, Rosso Veronese IGT, Bardolino Classico DOC Tacchetto, Bardolino Classico DOC Cuvée XV, Rosato Veronese IGT Rosa Rosae, Bardolino Chiaretto Classico DOC Keya, Bardolino DOC Classico Chiaretto Fior di Rosa Spumante Extra Dry.
The Valpolicella vineyards comprise 25 hectares. The cellar is located in Negrar, one of the 5 municipalities of the Valpolicella Classico zone. Only 5 of the 19 municipalities of Valpolicella are part of the Classico denomination. The vineyards, divided into 25 plots, reach 40+ years of age. The planting density is between 1600 and 5000 plants per hectare. The estate includes three crus officially recognized in the Valpolicella area: Rovereti, Pojega (described in more detail below) and Calcarole (see the wine of that name, below for more detail). On the Valpolicella estate only red grape varieties are grown: Corvina and Corvinone (60%), Rondinella, Barbera, Merlot and Sangiovese. The altitude is between 170 and 230 meters above sea level and the vineyards are located in a hilly area. The soil is mainly clay based with a significant presence of limestone. Wines: Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG Classico, Clos Roareti Rosso Veronese, Pojega Valpolicella Ripasso DOC Classico Superiore, Cuvée XVII Valpolicella DOC Classico DOC.
Valpolicella Estate–Pojega: In 1649 Carlo Rizzardi from Toscolano Maderno arrived in Valpolicella and bought the property of Pojega with the nearby vineyards of Calcarole and the estate of Rovereti added later. He built the cellar of Pojega and produced the first Rizzardi labels in 1678. Later in 1783 Antonio Rizzardi created the garden of Pojega, still famous in the world for the wonderful perspectives of its design “all’italiana” and for its renowned theatre in Boxwood and for Villa Rizzardi, restored later in the 1850’s.
Sparkling wines
Bardolino DOC Classico Chiaretto Spumante, Extra Dry Fior di Rosa: From the Bardolino estate. The name recalls the sense of lightness and delicacy of the wine, the cream of rosé, which is expressed vividly in sparkling wine.
White wines
Soave AOC
Soave Classico AOC: 2007 Garganega plus Chardonnay.
Soave Classico AOC, Costeggiola: From dark volcanic soils, Unoaked. 70% Garganega, 30% Chardonnay.
Pink wines
Rosato Veronese IGT, Rosa Rosae: From the Bardolino estate. Rosa Rosae is a particularly charming rosé: delicate pink in colour, it has intense spicy and fruity aromas; full-bodied, balanced and fruity, it has great drinkability.
Bardolino Chiaretto Classico DOC, Keya: From the Bardolino estate. The mild climate of Lake Garda, protected from the foothills by the cold north wind, contributes to the success of this wine. It is a very elegant rosé with a soft pink colour and a pleasant fruity aroma. On the palate it is dry and intense, with good freshness.
Red wines
Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG Classico, Calcarole: From the Calcarole vineyard (details above), Valpolicella. Calcarole Calcarole is a terraced vineyard in Negrar, in the heart of the Valpolicella Classico. It is ideally located for the particularly beneficial climate, the pebbly soil and the south-west exposure. | 2009 This was awarded the Gambero Rosso’s ‘Vino Rosso dell’Anno 2014’ – Red Wine of the Year 2014.
Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG Classico, Villa Rizzardi: From the Pojega vineyard (details above) in Valpolicella.
Bardolino DOC Classico DOC Tacchetto: From the Bardolino estate. This vineyard is distinguished by unique soil and climate conditions with a pebbly soil on a limestone substrata and a ventilated position that provides grapes of great value in terms of quality. The wine has an aroma rich in Morello cherry and characteristic spicy notes that reflect the freshness of Corvina and Merlot without barrel aging.
Bardolino Classico DOC Cuvée XV: From the Bardolino estate. One of the best known Italian wines in the world. It originates from a territory overlooking Lake Garda, a hilly environment with a Mediterranean imprint: for this reason, the area takes the name of “Riviera degli Olivi” – The Riviera of Olives.
Rosso Veronese IGT Clos Roareti: From the Pojega vineyard in Valpolicella. The first year of production of yhis single site Merlot was 2004. The grapes are from in the historic Rovereti vineyard in Negrar, in Valpolicella. The vineyard is enclosed by centuries-old walls. In the late 1990s Merlot was planted here.
Rosso Veronese IGT, Munus: From the Bardolino estate. The name Munus means “gift” in Latin and for Guerrieri Rizzardi this wine is agift from our best vines. Produced in limited quantities, this wine comes from the selection of the highest quality grapes produced by our best sites in Bardolino and Cavaion, both in the Classico area.
Valpolicella DOC Classico DOC, Cuvée XVII: From the Pojega vineyard in Valpolicella.
Valpolicella Ripasso DOC Classico Superiore, Pojega: From the Pojega vineyard (details above) in Valpolicella. 12 months in oak barrels.
Contact
Guerrieri Rizzardi
Strada Campazzi,
37011 Bardolino (VR), Italy
Tel:+39-045-7210028 | www.guerrieri-rizzardi.it/en/
Wine shop: Via Villa Rizzardi, 10
37024 Negrar (VR), Italy