About Monte dei Ragni
Monte dei Ragni is the one man estate of Zeno Zignoli in Fumane, in the Valpolicella Classica, and one of the smallest serious cellars in the zone: six to seven hectares worked by hand and by horse drawn plough, following biodynamic practice without chasing certification. Production never passes about six thousand bottles a year, split between Amarone, Valpolicella Ripasso and tiny amounts of Recioto and white wine. The wines are the opposite of industrial Valpolicella: farmed like a garden, made slowly, and prized for energy, focus and length rather than sheer weight.
Prices are for take away and shipping. The wine bar serves from its own list.
The winery
About Monte dei Ragni
History
Monte dei Ragni is a family farm in Fumane, in the heart of Valpolicella Classica. The name comes from the hill where it stands, recorded in the historic cadastre from the Austrian period. The Ragno family has worked this land for five generations. Santo Ragno turned the farm toward growing grapes in the early 1900s, and in the first half of the century the holding grew to take in Mazzurega. The Marega property goes back to 1450.
Today the company is run by Zeno Zignoli, who married into the Ragno family. Retailer notes say he spent years preparing the ground and released his first wine from the 2003 vintage.
The land and the vineyards
The official site speaks of about six to seven hectares of vines, though other sources give a smaller planted area. The vines grow in full sun on poor soil, on simple pergolas and separated by dry stone walls known as marogne. Olive and cherry trees stand between the rows.
The estate plants over 5,000 vines per hectare, using the local grape varieties of Valpolicella.
The wines
The range follows the Valpolicella tradition: Amarone, Ripasso, Valpolicella Superiore and Recioto, with a white aged in amphora and a passito. The estate also presses its own olive oil and, according to retailers, makes a cherry grappa.
Production is small. A retailer note puts the Ripasso at around 3,000 bottles and the Amarone at around 1,200 bottles in a typical year, which makes each release a limited one.
Today
The wines are made with the enologists Fabio Bigolin and Umberto Menini. The farm stays small and family led, with the old courtyard buildings and the dry stone terraces still part of daily work.
- Founded
- Ragno family farm for five generations; first wine under this label 2003
- Area
- Fumane, Valpolicella Classica
- Vineyards
- About 6 to 7 hectares
- Owners
- Ragno and Zignoli family
- Winemaker
- Fabio Bigolin and Umberto Menini