From the ground to the glass: how wine is made at Tenuta Villa Bellini.

We harvest our grapes by hand, selecting the bunches for every wine. If certain grapes are not up to standard, we don’t pick them, preferring to give them back to the soil. Only perfectly ripe grapes are harvested, which means that the selection process takes at least two stages for each plot of land.

Grapes that will be used to make our Amarone are left to dry naturally in the old theatre of the Villa. They stay there for about 100 days.

We only ferment small amounts of grapes. We follow a process of microvinification, according to the different harvest times.

Alcoholic fermentation occurs naturally, with indigenous yeast. It begins with the preparation of the “Pied de Cuve”, which is carried out by hand, in the cellar. The grapes used for the bottom fermentation are selected from the oldest vines on the estate. These are grapes that ripen more slowly and have the ideal acid content to start the fermentation process.

Our Amarone also ferments spontaneously. In this case, fermentation is rather long, lasting until the sugar content of the original must has been completely transformed into alcohol.

Even the malolactic fermentation occurs naturally.

As per tradition, native varieties are all left to ferment together. Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara are harvested once they are fully ripe, and then they are mixed together. This is because the specific characteristics of each grape variety aids the fermentation.

Punch-down processes are carried out by hand, while pump-overs and delestages use a pump, under the strict control of our oenologist.

When it comes to refining our wines, the use of wood is extremely limited. Our barrel store contains a few 5-hl barrels and some 20-hl casks in French oak, toasted to preserve the fruity character of the wine.