About Corte Sant'Alda
Corte Sant'Alda sits in the Val di Mezzane, the quieter eastern valley of the Valpolicella, where Marinella Camerani has farmed since the mid 1980s. The vineyards lie between 200 and 350 metres on limestone rich soils, in parcels named Campi Magri, Prà Alto, Retratto and Monte Tombole, worked biodynamically and taken into the cellar with a light hand: hand harvesting, spontaneous fermentations with native yeasts and aging in oak of varied size and age. The range runs from Valpolicella through the Campi Magri ripasso to two Amarones, Valmezzane and the estate selection Mithas.
Prices are for take away and shipping. The wine bar serves from its own list.
The winery
About Corte Sant'Alda
History
Corte Sant'Alda is the estate of Marinella Camerani, who owns it and makes the wines. It is named after her daughter Alda. Camerani took over the family holdings in the mid 1980s and moved to organic farming soon afterwards, in 1985 according to one importer. She later turned to biodynamic methods, and the vineyards are now certified by Demeter, which makes her one of few producers of DOCG wines in the Veneto with that certification.
Since 2009 she has also run a second winery, Adalia.
The land and the vineyards
The vineyards lie in the foothills of the Lessini Mountains near Mezzane, about 30 kilometres north east of Verona, at around 400 metres of altitude. Sources give the vineyard area as anything between 15 and 21 hectares, as the estate has grown over the years, and all of it is farmed organically and biodynamically.
The wines
The estate makes the classic wines of Valpolicella. Mithas is the Amarone from a single vineyard farmed biodynamically, and Valmezzane is a second Amarone made from Corvina, Corvina Grossa and Rondinella. Campi Magri is a Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso, Ca' Fiui is a Valpolicella, and there is also a Recioto della Valpolicella.
The grapes are dried naturally from October until the end of January and sorted by hand over several months before pressing. Fermentation uses native yeasts.
Today
Marinella Camerani still runs the winery herself. Her Amarones are poured in vertical tastings that go back to the 1990s, a sign of how long the estate has kept its style.
- Winemaker
- Marinella Camerani
- Owners
- Marinella Camerani
- Main grapes
- Corvina, Corvina Grossa, Rondinella