ZENATO
Veneto, Italy

The Azienda Zenato is owned by the Zenato family. Sergio Zenato founded it in 1960, motivated by his passion for wine and by the devotion to quality he had learned from his father Silvino.

This family wine business is founded on the values of the human factor, of time, and of tradition, each and all of these linked indissolubly with Valpolicella and Lugana, areas pregnant with history.

Sergio Zenato pours into the making of his wines his energy and his talent, animated by an absolute passion for quality and by the determination to constantly eclipse past results. He has poured his efforts into the land as well, experimenting with new vineyard plantings. The crafting of his wines becomes a kind of ritual, which he celebrates together with his two children, Alberto and Nadia.

On the market, the Zenato name is synonymous with Amarone. Sergio’s ‘quality over quantity’ approach results in benchmark Amarone and Amarone Riserva. But his other red wines, Ripassa (a “mini- Amarone”using the Ripasso process) and Valpolicella in particular, are possibly the most typical examples you are likely to find of these classic Venetian wines. Indeed, Zenato was voted among the Top 5 Red Wines Producers in Italy at the 2004 London International Wine and Spirits Fair.

Wines

Lugana DOC San Benedetto
This Lugana is sourced from our estate vineyards in San Benedetto, a village just south of Lake Garda, between the towns of Desenzano and Peschiera del Garda.
We utilise a careful blend of the best grapes from lugana-variety vineyards in the historic heart of the DOC zone.
It is a wine of appealing distinctiveness, releasing crisp, fruity aromas that gradually expand to a rich complexity characteristic only of Lugana.
The palate is rounded and generous, and has a wonderfully long, savoury finish.

Valpolicella Doc Classico Superiore
Produced from vineyards in the historic zone in the commune of Sant’Ambrogio, from 85% corvina, 10% rondinella, and 5% sangiovese. Production is traditional. The grapes are de-stemmed and lightly crushed, followed by a 6-7 day maceration on the skins. The wine is kept in steel until malolactic fermentation, followed by 12 months’ maturation in 33- and 55-hl Slavonian oak barrels.
The nose offers supple fragrances of almonds and violets.
Crisp and dry in the mouth, well structured, with a lovely, velvety texture.
Ready to enjoy now, but can be cellared a few years.

Ripassa Valpolicella Doc Superiore
Zenato gives the name “Ripassa” to this wine, which shares many of the characteristics of our Amarone.
As soon as the fermentation is completed of the dried grapes for the Amarone, selected lots of Valpolicella are then “re-passed” on the Amarone pomace, thus initiating a second fermentation which increases slightly the alcoholic content and gives the wine deeper colour, increased extract, and more complex aromas.
After 6 months’ bottle-ageing, the result is a rounded, velvet-textured wine with rich, complex aromas of berries and an impressively lengthy finish that seems to linger forever.
Ripassa represents one of the most important milestones in Zenato’s winemaking evolution.

Amarone della Valpolicella Doc Classico
The Amarone is a small jewel in our product line, made from outstanding corvina, rondinella and sangiovese grapes of the Valpolicella Classico zone, in the communes of Sant’Ambrogio, Negrar, Pedemonte, Fumane, San Pietro in Cariano and Marano.
After being picked into small, 2.5 kg trays, the grapes are cleaned and placed on drying mats for 4 months in dry, well-ventilated rooms. In January they are finally crushed, then very slowly fermented on the skins; the wine goes into 300-litre French barrels and Slavonian oak barrels for maturation, followed by a year’s ageing in bottle before release.
A wine of superb richness and majestic flavours.
The exceptional balance of all its components makes it ideal for lengthy cellaring.

Reserve Wines

Lugana Riserva Sergio Zenato
Our family history has given rise to this Riserva, the result of real passion for winemaking.
The fruit is from the Podere Massoni vineyards, with 15- to 20-year-old vines and a very low average yield of 2.5 kg per vine. Harvest occurs somewhat late, towards mid-October. Winemaking is carried out with extreme care. The wine is fermented in barriques for 3 weeks, then matured in small new oak for 4 months, followed by 6 months in steel and 6 months in glass before release.
The wine exhibits a lively light gold, then opens to a rich, multi-layered nose featuring nuances of blossoms, citrus fruit, and vanilla. A beautifully balanced mouth offers stunning richness, then continues through into a remarkably long, savoury finale.
A few years’ cellaring will be amply rewarded.

Chardonnay Riserva Sergio Zenato
Here is a new wine for us, offered for the sheer challenge of producing an international variety competitor.
The most suitable grapes were selected from several vineyards in the San Benedetto di Lugana area, and the wine was fermented in oak and matured in new barriques for 6 months.
This Chardonnay was crafted to provide heightened sensory experiences, rich aromatics, and a complex structure.
It is a rich, pleasurable wine in which all the elements of its sensory complexity combine to create a powerful personality.

Amarone Riserva Sergio Zenato
A wine of great class, produced only in outstanding vintage years.
Corvina grapes, with the addition of some rondinella and sangiovese, are selected literally vine by vine, and from only the oldest vineyards in the Classico zone of Valpolicella, in the comune of Sant’Ambrogio.
We utilise the traditional fermentation techniques reserved for all our Amarones, then the wine undergoes a lengthy maturation of at least 4 years in large Slavonian oak barrels.
This Riserva represents the most eloquent expression of our family experience and tradition, fully a world-class wine.
Its qualities indicate a cellaring for even beyond 20 years.

Click here to view Zenato Wines available to purchase