About Rubinelli Vajol
Rubinelli Vajol farms the Conca del Vajol, a small sheltered valley in the middle of the Valpolicella Classica at San Pietro in Cariano, where vineyards run between old brick walls, olive trees, cherry and almond blossom. The family has lived in the Valpolicella for generations; Gaetano Rubinelli laid the estate's foundations in the early twentieth century, after building the Chievo dam on the Adige. The cellar makes five wines, Valpolicella Classico and Superiore, Ripasso, Amarone and Recioto, from the five native grapes of the zone, and matures everything only in large French and Slavonian oak of 30 to 50 hectolitres.
Prices are for take away and shipping. The wine bar serves from its own list.
The winery
About Rubinelli Vajol
History
Rubinelli Vajol is a family estate in Vajol, near San Pietro in Cariano, in the middle of Valpolicella Classica. Its founder, Gaetano Rubinelli, designed and built the Chievo dam on the Adige, which supplied electricity to the industries of Verona in the early 1900s. He then bought the Vajol property, chosen for its natural bowl shape in the heart of historic Valpolicella. The estate pages date the vineyard of Vajol back to 931 AD.
The family has lived in Valpolicella for generations, and later generations now run the estate: Giorgio's sons Renzo and Alberto, with his nephews Nicola and Elena.
The land and the vineyards
Vajol is a warm, sheltered basin, a few steps from old tuff formations and the Romanesque church of San Floriano. The bowl shape gives the vines good sun exposure and lets the grapes dry in a ventilated, mild climate. Dry stone walls called marogne shape the terraces, and olive, almond and cherry trees stand among the vines. The vineyards are planted with native varieties.
A Consorzio listing puts the south facing vineyards of the Vajol cru at about 10 hectares.
The wines
The estate makes only Valpolicella wines: Valpolicella Classico, Ripasso, Amarone and Recioto, plus a lively young red called rubiní, which the winery describes as floral, with fresh red fruit. For the dried grape wines the best bunches are chosen and left to rest and dry before pressing. The wines then age in large oak barrels in a cool, dark cellar cut into tuff. Trade sources give an output of around 80,000 bottles a year.
Today
The winery states its idea in one line: to offer the beauty and goodness at the heart of Valpolicella. Its site has a hospitality section for visits to the estate, and the cellar carved in tuff is a good reason to go.
- Vineyards (hectares)
- About 10 (Vajol cru, per Consorzio listing)
- Owners
- Rubinelli family