Producer Spotlight Box: Pietro Zardini

This is a serious Valpolicella, vibrant, generous, and full of character. Pietro Zardini’s Valpolicella Classico pours a lively ruby red with just a flicker of garnet at the rim. On the nose, it’s velvety and elegant, laced with hints of dried fruits, a touch of spice, and a subtle rustic charm. On the palate, it’s smooth, full-bodied, and supple, with that lovely Italian food-friendliness. 

This is proper Valpolicella, grown in the heart of a region that’s been producing wine for over 2,000 years. Today, Valpolicella is one of Italy’s most important wine zones, with over 8,000 hectares under vine, producing more than 60 million bottles a year. Remarkably, Pietro Zardini is still doing it the old-fashioned way. His family has worked these red and brown soils since the 1600s, and every bottle tells a piece of that story. The grapes are hand-harvested, gently macerated on their skins, and aged for up to 10 months in oak to bring out texture and spice, followed by time in steel for freshness.

The Amarone by Pietro Zardini is an austere and deep red wine, aged for about 36 months in oak barrels and barriques. It has a complex and intense bouquet of black cherries, Indian spices, pepper, graphite and humus. The taste is powerful, warm, very structured and persistent. We recommend decanting this bad boy. Made from semi dried grapes, it is an unctuous and rich glass of red and the perfect way to complete a celebratory meal and very special with gruyere cheese pairing. Its limited, so don't delay!

Lugana is a place located on the southern tip of Lake Garda. It's a surprisingly unsuspecting place for wine to be made as the land is all flat, unlike the rolling hills of Piedmont and Tuscany. The dominant grape here is an indigenous variety local to the region called Trebbiano di Lugana and it is most similar to the wines of Chablis or Macon, with its citrus driven profile and its potential to age well. This particular one is produced in stainless steel and is all about capturing the flavour of the vineyards: think apples, lemons and peaches. It has a grippy texture and would be ideal with food. It's a serious wine and a great addition to a Sunday Roast.

This is a serious Valpolicella—vibrant, generous, and full of character. Pietro Zardini’s Valpolicella Classico pours a lively ruby red with just a flicker of garnet at the rim. On the nose, it’s velvety and elegant, laced with hints of dried fruits, a touch of hay, and a subtle rustic charm. On the palate, it’s smooth, full-bodied, and supple, with that lovely Italian food-friendliness. 

This is proper Valpolicella—grown in the heart of a region that’s been producing wine for over 2,000 years. Today, Valpolicella is one of Italy’s most important wine zones, with over 8,000 hectares under vine, producing more than 60 million bottles a year—but Pietro Zardini is still doing it the old-fashioned way. His family has worked these red and brown soils since the 1600s, and every bottle tells a piece of that story. The grapes—Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara—are hand-harvested, gently macerated on their skins, and aged for up to 10 months in oak to bring out texture and spice, followed by time in steel for freshness.