CAV. G.B. BERTANI SRL
SEDE SOCIALE: VIA ASIAGO, 1 37023 GREZZANA (VERONA) ITALY – TEL +39 045 8658444 – FAX +39 045 8658400
C.C.I.A.A. VERONA 238269 – CODICE FISCALE E PARTITA IVA 02418320236
Web Site: www.bertani.net E-Mail: [email protected]
2014 HARVEST:
BERTANI WILL NOT PRODUCE AMARONE CLASSICO
The historic winery in the Valpolicella region has chosen not to produce Amarone Classico, the
wine that has symbolized it since 1958 and obtained through the original and traditional “natural
drying” of the grapes. The weather of this season made it impossible
to attain the quality standard that the winery has set for itself for over half a century.
Bertani, the historic winery from Valpolicella and beacon in the Italian enological scene, will not
produce Amarone Classico 2014. A precise choice with a resounding economic impact, supported
by a firm convincement that for Bertani is much more than just a philosophy: an exhaustive quest
for quality through natural partial drying, can’t be done in a constantly rainy year like the 2014 «We
believe that who make Amarone with a natural partial drying should inevitably skip this year to be
consistent with one’s own style and identity and to follow the purest tradition. We made this choice
for Bertani Amarone Classico,» explains Emilio Pedron, CEO of Bertani Domains Group. «It was
an important decision, costly, but consistent with our style and our identity, and above all, highly
respectful of our consumers and customers.»
Since 1958, its first year of production, dutifully of its tradition, Bertani Amarone Classico is made
through high-level handicraft, with a specific technical expertise and the use of a unique, highquality
fruit: perfect, intact grapes laid to rest exclusively on bamboo cane racks (rush mats), in
naturally aired rooms on the hills of Valpolicella Classica . Thus partial drying is entirely natural, a
distinctive aspect that confers to the Bertani Amarone Classico a unique style and an exclusive
longevity. In this natural process the quality of the grapes becomes crucial, even more than the
method (partial drying) that this wine is obtained from. At Bertani it’s no coincidence that rather
than saying “natural drying” we say “laying the grapes to rest”. This year’s climate trend—
temperatures that stayed below average, less hours of sunlight and anomalous precipitation levels—
kept the grapes from reaching a quality sufficient to guarantee the result required by the company
standards.
CAV. G.B. BERTANI SRL
SEDE SOCIALE: VIA ASIAGO, 1 37023 GREZZANA (VERONA) ITALY – TEL +39 045 8658444 – FAX +39 045 8658400
C.C.I.A.A. VERONA 238269 – CODICE FISCALE E PARTITA IVA 02418320236
Web Site: www.bertani.net E-Mail: [email protected]
That’s why Bertani decided to be the first winery in Valpolicella to announce its choice to not produce Amarone Classico, vintage 2014, as already done for other peculiar years, as 2002 and 1982.
«We must recall that Bertani Amarone Classico is a “rare” example where the bottle, label, method of production and wine style have stayed the same since the first year of production,» adds Mr Pedron, who underscores that the firm belief to not proceed with a “forced” partial drying (although allowed by the Production Regulations) influence this strategy as well. «In fact, you can make Amarone in technological drying rooms with partial drying with a result that is independent from the weather variable; in this case, even the trend post-harvest climate has no qualitative influence to the final product, since partial drying takes place in rooms with monitored standardized parameters, like humidity and ventilation. Bertani has always produced its Amarone Classico exclusively by natural partial drying, and if we had made different choices we couldn’t have reached that quality and the style that for over half a century has been our element of recognition and distinction around the world.»
Therefore there will be no Amarone Classico 2014 with the label “Bertani”, a company that wishes to protect the image of a name that has always been a symbol of reliability and consistency.
