More
than 1000 years as winemakers!
In the modern
wine world we are overwhelmed by choice, and by an onslaught of
mediocre wines, very often produced commercially in almost factory
settings with conveyor belts of grapes, picked by machines, and
processed by people using a high-tech manipulating approach to
produce millions of bottles of boring wine made to a very rigorous
commercial formula, as set by teams of marketing experts, marketing
experts who usually have little knowledge, let alone love or
passion for wine. In such wine factories there is naturally little
time or regard given to the culture, the tradition, the terroir, or
the passion which is required to produce great wine.
Yet, there
are still family wine Estates who have not forgotten how important
the soil is, the value of caring for the grapevine and making
outstanding wines by using modern, up-to-date equipment and
methods, but methods where family traditions and experience are
also integrated, to produce a wine, which is not only an icon of
its place and vintage, but also an ambassador for the patience and
skills of its winemaker and the traditions of the family which has
helped to create it. The Collalto family of San Salvatore Castle,
nestling in its green vineyards, on the hills above Venice, Italy
is such a family. They have always known that it takes more than
simple science, marketing experts and satisfied shareholders, to
produce a wine which is elegant and filled with a sense of place
and tradition. And this
they have done for more than 1000 years!