Cavazza between Gambellara and Colli Berici

Drawing from the past with a light touch. Less austere, more modern and current is the company’s new logo Cavazza who, thanks to this redesign, finds an opportunity to talk about himself and tell where the journey is at and, above all, where he wants to go.

The story begins in 1928 a good 4 generations ago, 2023 is the 95th vintage made on the territory of Gambellara and Colli Berici. We are in the province of Vicenza then, in that middle Veneto that is characterized by Black volcanic soils, from those white, calcareous ancient seabed. But also from the mountains abutting the hills dwelling in olive groves and vineyards and from the plains that lean southward from there on.

One family for two territories

Cavazza is the surname of the family, which in the first person still follows all the stages from the countryside to the winery to marketing. Over the years the steps forward have been several, until today that we count in total as many as 130 hectares planted with vines for a total of 600,000 bottles produced. There are two designations. Gambellara Doc where the protagonist is Garganega, an indigenous white grape of which Cavazza is among the greatest interpreters over the years. Since the 1980s, the family has also devoted itself to another territory, that of the Berici Hills. Here the soils are more calcareous and well suited to the cultivation of red grapes such as Tai Rosso, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The company’s quest in enhancing the value of the two territories for which it is an ambassador also translates into the achievement of the SQNPI certification, thanks to the focus over the years on the preservation of biodiversity and use of renewable energy resources.

The company’s goals can be summarized as: renewal of vineyard facilities, technological improvement and lengthening of aging time. Cousins Stephen, Andrew, Matthias and Elisa decide to continue their projects and communicate the company philosophy through a revamped logo and labels. Correct choice considering that inevitably the contents of the bottles will also be destined to be increasingly modern and, evidently, also improved through new shrewd, accurate choices in line with the times.

“Projected toward the future, without forgetting the past.”

This is how the Cavazza youth tell their story today. First wine to reveal the new look is the Bocara 2022, Gambellara, 100% Garganega. Only steel for about 30,000 bottles a year and “only” € 10 per bottle. More than daily, I would say. It will be followed closely by Coral, the Tai rosso Colli Berici, now in the 2020 vintage. Resting for 6 months in 2nd and 3rd passage barriques, it preserves a dose of freshness and ease of drinking that counterbalances Bocara, about €16.00 per bottle. Corporate cru remains Stork Vineyard Merlot, tasted in the 2018 vintage. Warm and accommodating still retains notes of pomegranate and small tart fruits. The 2008 magnum version tells us how it is meant to age, indeed evolve, over time. Balsamic, toasted, with sweet overripe notes toward rather evolved tertiaries.

Icing on the cake: the winery also produces. Recioto di Gambellara, called Capitel, We tasted it in the 2000 magnum vintage. Endangered type (as is its cousin Vin Santo di Gambellara, but that’s another story). 13% vol and as much as 170 g/l sugar, grapes dried on picai are pressed in January. It ferments in barrels and rests in concrete. The color is caramel, the nose tastes of candied apricot and orange, and the palate is immense between sweet and sour. Finishes long and fresh, with a persistence of rose petals. Confirming that certain things, such as the approach to the countryside, to the winery, rather than the image is good to evolve with time… but that what is born perfect, like a Recioto, can absolutely continue to last over time true to itself.

TO READ THE WINE DESCRIPTIONS, WITH SCORE AND AVERAGE SHELF PRICE, CLICK ON THE TABS BELOW.