Ca Montini


— About —

BACKGROUND OF TRENTINO & ALTO ADIGE

Trentino and Alto Adige regions are situated in the Northern part of Italy with Alto Adige the more northerly and Trentino in the southern area around the Adige River. The area is defined by the Dolomites mountainous region and has extreme weather patterns in summer and winter; snow capped mountains in winter and extreme heat and drought in summer. The area contains about 13700 ha of vineyards of which 9000 ha in Trentino and 4700 ha in Alto Adige. In Trentino it is very much the Italian way – where larger co-operatives have planted large vineyard and produce in larger quantities whilst in Alto Adige the vineyards would be described as more artisan and small craft wineries.

To understand the difference in style of Trentino vs Alto Adige it is important to know the geo-political background of the region and it is fair to say that the area has had its fair share of turmoil. Over the years the region has been ruled by multiple countries and most recently changed after the second world war. Alto Adige is the northern part and is also know as Sudtirol which had been under Austria’s for a very long time. Trentino has mainly been ruled by the Italians which reflects in their culture. The cultural differences in both regions have over the years led to interesting viticultural developments in both subregions, where Alto Adidge has predominantly planted varieties similar to those in Austria & Germany, like Shava and Lagrein and in the whites grapes predominantly gewurztraminer, Muller Thurgau & Sylvaner. In the Southern part Trentino, the grapes and viticulture are very much alike to the Italian varieties, and here Pinot Grigio is pre-dominantly planted.

 

RICCARDO COTARELLA

To help explain why Ca’Montini is so special it is good to know the background of Riccardo Cotarella. Ca’Montini winemaker Ricardo Cotarella is one of Italy’s most recognisable winemakers. He grew up in Monterubiaglio, near Orvieto, a town very involved in wine making, surrounded by wine press’ and ferments and went on to study oenology. He now consults for dozens of wineries and has a reputation in excellence in vineyard operations, modern winemaking techniques and wine marketing.

Has held the position of president of the Italian Oenologists Association as well as the International Wine Association. Ricardo has a passion for Pinot Grigio and studied and experimented with the grape for over 12 years.

His determination to make some of Italy’s best Pinot Grigio coincided with an offer from Ca’Montini, to work with a unique site and produce Grigio of the highest quality. “I chose the exclusive offer of Ca’ Montini because I was deeply convinced by its project. A project that saw a limited production of bottles and focused absolutely on quality, Ca’ Montini chose one of the territories best suited in the world [Trentino] for Pinot Grigio production” –

Riccardo Cotarella – Winner of Winemaker of the Year (Wine Enthusiast), Best Italian Winemaker – Gambero Rosso

 

THE VINEYARD

The Ca’Montini Pinot Grigio is sourced from a single vineyard called “Terre di Valfredda”, (meaning cold valley) in Ala, Trentino. The vineyard is protected by the mountains and has the perfect east/west exposure that provides the ideal conditions to ripen Pinot Grigio. The vineyard is 200-250m above sea level which leads to high diurnal temperature ranges and allows the grapes to ripen slowly. The different aspects within the vineyard and high altitude contribute to complexity and depth of flavour in the wine.

The soil profile in the vineyard is predominantly clay & limestone which contributes incredible salinity and minerality to the wine. The traditional pergola trellising system is used in the vineyard, densely planted to 3500 vines per ha and was planted in 1998. This traditional trellising system is used predominantly with white grapes to protect the grapes from too much sun and possible sunburn and promote airflow through the canopy to prevent disease pressure and create a cooling effect.

The vineyard is worked and mastered by Riccardo Cotarella and his team, dedicated to making an exceptional pinot grigio that showcases a pure expression of the region, vineyard and its terroir. The vines are fastidiously managed from bud selection and fruit thinning through to hand harvesting to achieve this result. All vines are hand-harvested in the early morning when the fruit is cool.