How we work
Fine wines require three ingredients: soil, technology and people. The human element is essential here at Villa Meneghello. Our people have a perfect knowledge of the secrets of winemaking, the colour of the grapes, the fermentation and the temperature, so they can treat
he grapes right, especially during the first month, when the fine wines take shape.
White wines
When the grapes arrive from the vineyard, they’re placed in the crusher-destemmer, which
removes the stems, before moving on to the fermentation tanks, where the grapes are
separated. Some varieties are macerated on the skins in the temperature controlled tanks,
while the others move on to the devatting phase, in which the skins are separated from the
liquid. The must is then fermented for around 7-8 days: it’s during this phase that the sugar is
turned into alcohol, until the right percentage has been obtained, while the skins are sent to
the distillery to make grappa.
Red wines
The process for producing reds varies depending on the type of wine.
The production protocol for Bardolino Classico is the one established by the Consortium, with the use of Corvina, Rondinella and Rebo grapes. For the other reds, the grape varieties are chosen based on the characteristics of the vines, to obtain a perfectly balanced wine.
A different process is required for Chiaretto, for which it is essential to monitor the colour, which passes from the skins to the wine during maceration. During the last phase of the process, the wine is inspected manually every hour to achieve the perfect shade of colour.
The more serious wines are placed in barrels for at least a year before being filtered and bottled, where they may be kept for further ageing, while the lighter wines move directly to filtering and bottling.
Raisining
For this type of process, we choose grapes from the most exposed areas, where the wider temperature range guarantees better quality. The grapes harvested into crates are brought in for drying in a ventilated environment. During this phase, the grapes lose water, resulting in a concentration of the sugar and the other components.
The liquid is then transferred into steel tanks for fermentation.
