Territory of Soave Classico
Producing classic wines from the Veneto is our passion. In the 1950s Giuseppe Inama, the estate's founder, began purchasing small plots of vineyards in the heart of the Soave Classico region using nothing more than his savings - at that time, few understood the area's potential. But Giuseppe was a believer. His idea was to assemble only top quality vineyards of old-vine Garganega and fashion from them a wine capable of restoring Soave's reputation.
Today our estate comprises more than 25 hectares of vineyards in the very heart of the Soave Classico. In the 1990s we decided to expand our production to include red wines and, after much research, settled on the Colli Berici, a system of terrarossa hills some 15 kilometres (10 miles) east of Soave in the neighbouring province of Vicenza. At first glance the two zones appear to have little in common but they share one fundamental element: the possibility to produce wines reflecting a unique terroir.
Each terroir is best expressed through a different variety. In the Soave Classico appellation the steep hills and the meagre basalt soils are carpeted with Garganega. An intensely aromatic variety, it was first planted here by the Romans and was originally known as "Grecanicum", a reference to its Greek origins, although it arrived here from Sicily via Campania where its cousin, Greco, is still widely planted. Isolated from its family, it gradually mutated through hundreds of generations. The name changed and so did the vine: its current, floral iteration gives voice to the inimitable blend of Alpine and Mediterranean influences found in Soave.
Territory of Colli Berici
The story of the Colli Berici is a similar but more modern tale and is even more exciting. The mineral-rich terrarossa here was colonized with Carmenčre in the middle of the 19th century by emigrants returning from Aquitaine. In those days jobs were scarce and many agricultural workers followed the harvest around Europe, inevitably finishing the season in northern France. Bordeaux was in its heyday and cuttings of Carmenčre, a popular grape, were willingly brought back to the Colli Berici. Fast forward 150 years and Carmenčre is already considered a local variety in the hot, dry climate of the Colli Berici. In fact, our plants are beginning to show subtle differences from their French relations. Who knows what it might be called in another millennium?
Brief biography
Stefano Inama, forty-nine, after finishing his classic studies, went on to obtain a degree in food science in Milan. He then completed his specialisation in applied biology at the Cranfield Institute of Technology in Great Britain beginning to work in the biotransformation sector. At the same time, in 1990-91, his passion for wine saw the start of the first experimental winemaking tests in his father’s company.
The beginnings
The first bottles were produced in ’91 to be followed by others in 92/93/94. But the debut of the first vintage, the first production on view and presented to the public, was in 1995.
“An enjoyable adventure from the start,” Stefano Inama tells us, “when, in 1991, almost as a “joke”, I presented the first bottling of Vulcaia to the company and a mini production of Sauvignon (about two or three thousand bottles of each). It was an experiment that, in my heart of hearts, I was convinced would be effective. A commercial move that wouldn’t go unobserved, one that would immediately capture the attention and enthusiasm of wine lovers. This unique production of Sauvignon was different, almost crazy and without doubt a challenge in an area dominated by Soave Classico, a wine whose “past” reputation was already going through a bad patch. My interest in this option before the Sauvignon production goes back to one of my good ideas on obtaining the first important results for a variety, for a vine that, back then, was certainly not suitable and we didn’t know if it could be adapted. It was only thought that it might be…. But commercially speaking, Sauvignon was a new idea that, to a certain extent, could attract the market’s attention to the company (such an attention that, out of all of the wines we could have made at the time, especially Soave, none would have been able to arouse). We made vitue a necessity. This is the only real marketing move we have idealised within the company and it is undoubtedly a winning one. Almost all the wines in our entire range originated from here: the two Soaves, the Foscarino (’92), the Chardonnays (the young Chardonnay in the early ‘90s and the Campo dei Tovi with a limited production) and the Vino Dolce, the result of drying out the grapes following a procedure concerning various working techniques. I already had the formula in my mind, which was immediately translated for the white wines. It’s obvious that, in view of the results obtained and the gradually gained skills and experience, the importance of tasting the wine at a later date, bearing in mind the development of one’s own increasingly refined taste in the evaluation report, should be pointed out. A wine made three or four years ago is no longer satisfactory, it can definitely be made better… This is where our growth began, then we increased the family with Michele Wassler and expanded the team with Emiliano Manfro and Riccardo Monteverdi arrived to deal with the operational-technical aspect and with Roberta Fratusco and Maria Rosa Niero for the administrative concerns… My father, Giuseppe, has always been, for all of us, the grey eminence. And so, in 1995, the commercial development phase began.
Growth
In terms of growth, the consecration of the Vulcaia Fumé, which has won many awards, should be mentioned. It is a wine of great personality that, whether you like it or not, has precise connotations that also derive from its fermentation in barrels. “A wine,” Stefano explains, “according to our philosophy, must express its territory and naturalness to the greatest degree possible and leave hints of a unique context, a particular and striking connotation. And then I believe that Man can obtain interesting results by working in very close contact with Nature and by deeply respecting it (in this sector especially, we should content ourselves with being “controllers”, or rather “observers”). There is an evolution within our philosophy, which intends to continue to encourage preserving the strong personality of a wine. With growth, both in terms of quality and the expansion of our vineyards, we have acquired an increasingly more varied system of competence, which allows us to interfere consistently less with the vine, applying the most suitable modalities and systems in accordance with the laws of minimalism. Therefore, from this ‘modus operandi’, for us and for any good vine grower, a great gamble arises, the risk of constantly assessing the border between a good result and a false naturalness. You need to have the right vine-goodness measuring tape, you need to know, for example, what is really happening, at all times, within the different organoleptic processes. The main thing is to try and interfere as little as possible with those wines that should be clean, pleasant and resistant. Behind our decision, our vocation, there are (the new magnificent production of that “revamped” Soave Classico, which has achieved great acclaim everywhere is a good example) years and years of research stages, difficult trials and intense application experiences. All, besides and beyond the possible inate good essence of the wine. Real wine is not improvised…It is more difficult to work in naturalness and to make simple things than it is to make complicated ones.
As for the production of red wines, the merit goes to Giuseppe Carcereri – a truly valuable technician – for having introduced me to the Berici Hills area. This is an area with an extraordinary morphological aspect (due to the bradyseism phenomenon) where the first experiments with selected grapes were being done in order to produce excellent wines. I realised that it was really exciting to discover an area that had never before been correctly assessed. I put heart and soul into this operation. A lucky operation. The first vintage (’97) was extraordinary. The second one also gave good results despite the torrential rains at the end of the harvest which, to some extent, reduced the development potential of the wines. But this didn’t stop us from producing interesting wines. A remarkable result, which convinced us of the optimal potential of the area. In fact, in adverse conditions, the best areas are seen in the small vintages where interesting wines are produced in any case. While, in the same situation, the less suitable areas tend to produce wines with weak personalities. We knew we were on the right track and, since 1999 we have been buying new land and vineyards. We have fallen in love with the natural vineyard at Carmenère, a vineyard which is giving us great satisfaction and which will produce unique wines. An extremely interesting production that is already in the making.”
The vision of wine
My vision has certainly changed, is still changing, over time: in 15 years a person grows progressively, one becomes increasingly fussier and definitely more difficult to please. I believe it is something that happens generally. Once the tasting stage is over with its many wine tastings, rediscovering and refining the passion for taste, I find that there are always fewer wines with something different to say. In the evolutionary panorama there has been a stagnation in the qualitative growth of wine with a net predominance for long-range commercialisation, especially at the beginning of the century. But growth in the sector had reached a considerable point at the beginning of the 1990s, roaring years. Yet I do find the rediscovery of the interest in Nature and in our territory, which has not yet been completely defined, much more interesting. I prefer to work internally, applying the philosophy connected to vineyards, adjustment, management and minimalism and the understanding of all these phases… All this is part of a deep respect for the operational aspects that we already know. Because it is from here that a unique, unimitable wine of great personality is made. Generally speaking, it is not by delegating to third parties or by calling up a fashionable consultant that “that” good wine which will go down in history is produced, but it is by working in full respect of grape production as a whole that will do it. We are at a good stage with the Soave. There are good possibilities also with the red wine production. We still feel very young in this sense. Life is long…..
Is making wine a vocation?
Quite frankly, I don’t know. For others, who knows?… I rediscovered my interest in wine at thirty. I was in England in the late 1980s and, despite all of the affirmations of Italian products, our presence in the most competitive market in the world was, to say the least, pitiful. That’s where I got the input – a real stirring up of a pride in creating something good, right there in that country, in a complex and difficult context but one that I think I know very well. This was the first spark that attracted me to wine. In an attempt to strengthen, even minimally, the reputation of Italian products, I sent some bottles of a particular production from my intial experimentation phase in my father’s company, with the intention of attracting a certain public to wine. At the time I was already a wine enthusiast in general but, as a student, I certainly couldn’t afford to buy very expensive wines. This is a habit I still have even now – I purposefully never buy very dear wines. I find it rather unrepresentative because a wine that has been recommended many times often doesn’t come up to expectations. … Shrewd and studied managerial planning, an eye on expenses, together with investment containment are golden rules, concepts of extreme importance in our company organisation. Monitoring ones own strengths, trying to get the right balance, contribute to avoiding mistakes: for Inama, at the centre of our investment policy is strengthening the productive well-being of the vine and vineyard. To some measure we have been sufficiently repaid for our approach which, in the wine, is well tangible and is in accordance with the development of a philosophy that goes against the current, which tends to favour the aim of productive excellence. The world of wine, on the other hand, has more aspects, showing both sides of the coin: in first place, vine production as a passion … There can be, in the list of trophies, some wines that, even if they have won awards, don’t really have great personalities. It should also be pointed out how this sector is the object of true marketing, which didn’t exist once in Italy. In the soul of an Italian, if you don’t mind me saying, you can see the characteristics of a good dealer before you see a good wine producer. Nowadays it is difficult, among the managerial aspects, to see the aesthetic sense given value, which tells us about the existential philosophy of a company, seeing that, in fact, gratification resulting from awards and earnings seems to be the prime objective. On the contrary, the qualitative aspect that can be attributed to a great wine can only be obtained in those vineyards that are cultivated with an extreme passion, trying to understand and make it yours, living it, the daily life of an agricultural company. And I think I can say how, in full respect of this organisation, it will be possible to produce, on a continual basis, historical wines of great body that strongly characterise the terrain.
Inama market analysis. International opinions of the Soave Classico...
Undoubtedly I’d say it is a good commercial success. 50% of our production goes to the domestic market, in accordance with a traditional managerial interest in distributing Inama visibility throughout the national territory. In Italy, as abroad, our visibility is mainly well established at a niche level. In England our labels meet the favour of a group of sector operators and wine enthusiasts. Inama is an exclusive organisation that has roused the interest of some extremely receptive producers, now our loyal clients, and growers who love to taste the essence, discover the soul of the wine and who don’t just stop at the label. In this sense our visibility is second to few. A further reason, then, for pride, personal satisfaction, as well as confirmation of a success in the making. It is also an incentive to continue down the road towards even further visibility. Wine sector workers, high level catering, wine experts – one of our most famous clients is Harold Pinter who recieves four cases of Foscarino a month – they know our wines very well and appreciate them. Of course, the public at large, perhaps not so attentive, or with only a limited knowledge of wine, is aware of other more accessible brands. At the moment Inama lacks a little visibility in the long-range, particularly for Soave, which has an easily affordable cost and a variable range of enjoyment. But here we hit a painful note: we should remember how, in the structure of the targeted market, Soave is, for the Anglosaxon public at large (Great Britain and, up to the last year or two, the United States), still hounded by decades of ideas and negative events that have practically destroyed its reputation. Compared to Pinot Grigio (used on large scale, often produced industrially, and which somehow still enjoys a pseudo-credibility), Soave, according to an unfortunately well-rooted opinion, still suffers from negative credibility and is a wine-victim. This legacy which, day by day, has heavily weighed and continues to weigh on the commercial flow, makes it impossible to calculate missed sales and the indirect damage that this negative idea of Soave suffers daily.
Our Soave Classico, thanks to more than ten years of study and research, has recouped the old traditions of our fathers, giving it extraordinary bouquet and aroma. In order to make this wine of ancient lineage known, an immense commercial operation has determined its success, promoted with dedication by our agent, Michael Palij, who is, without doubt, one of the most famous masters of wine in England and an expert on Italian wines. A more complex procedure towards acclaim for this wine has been establishing visibility in the USA, a market that has only been consolidated for a year or two, thanks to the setting up of winning strategies adopted by the team led by our general agent, Brian Larky, who has made public interest boom, not only for Soave but for all our wines. In the States, the problem of territorial visibility in this sector has never been posed. Up to a few years ago, it was simply an interesting fact for the public at large, a logical consequence, caused by mass production, managed by large retail outlet cooperatives. Despite repeated, sterile, dissertations of quality, zoning, experimental vineyards or DOCG… And, in Moscow, Soave Classico costs just Euro 1.99 a bottle on the shelves! What can they give for Euro 1.99? What’s the point of complaining then, if a slightly inattentive, high level catering business doesn’t buy at all or decides to keep, just for stock purposes, “a” Soave which will never be a renowned wine…. On the contrary, those farsighted operators, vigilant custodians of their own image, continue to investigate that bunch of producers who, with indisputable and great effort and professionalism, produce “the” better Soave. A wine that is undoubtedly unique and incomparable and which has finally managed to widen the gap and one which, after having obtained a “niche” success, is receiving more and more confirmation, day by day, and extending its own field of action.
It is a good moment too for exportation to Japan, according to a satisfying prospect of general growth, (15%), already confirmed throughout Europe, Scandinavia, Russia, Ukraine, as well as the Caribbean area. And, I repeat, we are aiming above all at visibility, at developing our presence, both in the domestic market and in those areas now thought of as traditional markets – Great Britain (10%), Japan (5%), the United States and Canada (35%). An interesting fact: in the Quebec area, sales have gone against the trend (unlike other places) in terms of the reputation of Soave which, in this area, has maintained good levels.
There are eleven Inama labels so far. Anything new in the pipeline?
It’s a little early to say… In reference to the Berici Hills project, if all goes well with the 2004 vintage, we expect a “small” production of Carmenère, purely from one vineyard and a unique wine of its kind, to go on sale (3,000 bottles). It will be the first great test of this vineyard…
Short and medium-term projects
Apart from what I just said, our project is to continue, with constancy and determination, with fully understanding our territory and not to stop but to keep on adding to our sack of knowledge which must pursue continual improvement. Therefore, I don’t forecast, in these terms, any further expansion. The company takes all our care, every hour of the day, with vineyards extending for a total surface area of 50 hectares (30 for white wines and 20 for reds). Furthermore, our project in Abruzzo, for Binomio, a joint-venture founded in 1999, thanks to an association that arose from a mutual passion for fully evaluating the productive capacity of Montepulciano, with a friend, Sabatino Di Properzio (who I met in ’97 when I was starting my tests on bradyseism), owner of the agricultural company Fattoria la Valentina, at Spoltòre, in the Pescara area. On that very occasion I put aside my dream about creating a great Montepulciano wine. His company began to experiment with grape selection with good results. Later on I decided to go ahead with the objective, surpassing any difficulties of distance. But the turn of events, the stroke of luck, occured in ’99. We found the ideal place in the Parco della Maiella – an old Montepulciano vineyard, planted in 1971. The clone used was an “Africa clone” with a very low production and small grapes and bunches. We decided to buy it. It was a winning idea for both of us, a great personal satisfaction. Already in the following year we had an excellent production (12,000 bottles, the annual average, and increasingly requested by wine lovers) which, in 2001, was awarded a score of 95/100 in Wine Spectator. It was a clamorous success on the American market. But, in our opinion, the 2002 harvest will exceed all expectations.
Any secret dreams
No, not secret ones. My dreams are in unveiled and on the table. I want to create great classic wines that will remain in the classifications of the world of wine.... If one looks at France, for example, before Italy, one can see how, in reality, those areas took centuries to make great wines, legendary brands. In fact, apart from the legends, everything that regards the real quality of those wines was done after the war, from the 1950s on. I am convinced that, if we could drink fresh nineteenth century wines now (except for very rare exceptions), we would find very little of the concept of that magical wine we speak of today... Taking into consideration the enormous experience of French producers and comparing it with that of the great Italian vine growers, we could race ahead with experimentation quite quickly today. Thanks to the contribution of personal know-how, of each grower’s experience and thanks to a complete study of viticulture and the territory, the effective comparison of all this information could lead us to reach, within a few years – and through a rather complex procedure whose stages should be noted on a chart – a constant productive yield that would allow us to place our great wines among those very great ones, which also have a much higher price…
Since I often go abroad, I have seen what is lacking to strengthen the visibility of our sector and what would be needed with the support of various producers. We have to find a way to create a univocal institution, almost a great theatre stage that would enhance the very many exception products of Italy, its bio-diversities, its goodness… An institution that would underline, in a broad sense, a concept of Italian spirit that isn’t linked to the interests of individual provincial or regional producers. A similar institution has existed abroad for some time now. Foreigners are very good at working towards the well-being of others and of the community. We go in the opposite direction when we are asked to emerge from individualism. This excessive ‘watch out for yourself’ characteristic is a great defect, especially in the world of wine. In fact, all of the positive developments that have come about in the last 25-30 yeras are known only to a group of passionate grape growers, certainly not to the international public at large. Of course it would mean investing time and availability. The interest of wineshops would have to be roped in to collaborate. In general, the world overseas, wants to hear a lot about Italy, more than the very important but clearly-defined value of the historical and artistic traditions of each city or region. So, in regard to
our sector, the foreign public doesn’t want to stop and identify that individual productive potential of each single territory, but is asking to be directed, according to global criteria, towards getting to know our entire country. This is a project that I would like to see become fact.
Brief biography
Giuseppe Inama, originally from Sarnonico (in the Alta Val di Non in Trentino), attended a three-year course at the Agrarian Institute in S. Michele all’Adige, obtaining his diploma at the age of twenty in 1946 because the school was closed during the final stages of the second world war. A further 18 months of intensive laboratory work dedicated to fruit farming then followed. Guiseppe Inama has a pleasant memory of those youthful years and the great value of his experience gained in the difficult times of the historical events as they passed. He remembers a solid sense of brotherhood with his companions, who came from all over northern Italy; the active collaboration with the extremely qualified “alte schule” (high school) teachers; the additional attendance of auditors in the various didactic disciplines; the aim of acquiring a great deal of information and to build up as varied and vast a knowledge as possible; and lastly, the great amount of homework to be done in his school diary which, even then, was filled, without time limits, with theoretical studies, laboratory applications – including, for example, proof of the different samplings and their complete analysis (according to a compulsory procedure for Switzerland, Austria and Germany) and, consequently, the practical work: in the fields, vineyards, apiaries and stables. A hard training – doubtlessly in preparation of a university education – which covered a wide range in each of the many branches of the agricultural world.
In 1947 Giuseppe Inama immediately began work in the wine sector at Biscardi in Bussolengo (just one harvest). The following year he began to collaborate with another traditional producer, Anselmi. A long, 35-year career that ended in 1983 and which made him entirely in fellowship with the world of wine. Fifteen years as a technician and twenty as a manager, he has held many important positions, roles that today are very different in any company organisation – from purchasing manager to determining transport loads in the various Italian market sites, to client services. Inama is the only oenologist in Verona and province – also the oldest – to found a wine company while still working full time and with total correctness in his managerial role at another wine one. A man who has given up nights, national holidays and all his free time to create a dream with unimaginable sacrifices every day. The spirit of sacrifice, ability to risk, passion and love for his “second family”, i.e. the wineyard, a natural talent for living the cycle of nature, all these led this determined and strong-willed man to found the business organization that has now become internationally famous.
The founding of Inama
The desire to learn about the productive reality of mount Foscarino began to evolve in me when I was working with Anselmi. It is a delightful place, favoured by a series of natural factors – type of soil, climate, exposure – that continue to optimise the qualitative yield of its grapes. And so, starting in the late 1950s, I began to buy, a bit at a time, small plots. My first vineyard on Foscarino belonged to the magistrate of Soave who made prisoners work on it. At that time you could buy a field with 50,000 lire… Opportunities were not lacking because of the farmers’ need, having such large families, to get cash together and give each child an amount of the capital tied to those old local properties. In fact, it was the era of mass immigration from rural areas. Urbanisation was spreading fast and uprooting whole family units, diminishing the intrinsic importance of the earth and running the risk of losing the value of century-old traditions. On the other hand, the daily flow of thousands of people, who were to become separate identities in the great industrial poles of the North, also favoured, by a natural law of compensation, those who intended to continue to believe in the land and to cultivate it with love. These are the reasons that, together with my work with Anselmi, gave vent to the productive history of what was to become, in time, the true identity of the family business…
The development over the years…..
I employed workers for the vineyards (which were to become 10 hectares, in 1998, putting Inama in first place for maximum concentration of its own vineyards in that area) because I meant to personally oversee the winemaking work. I got married.
As time went by, I continued to buy land planted with vines next to Foscarino and grapes from third parties and produced wine, which I then resold to the Wine Cooperatives in Alto Adige, where I was well known, and to Bolla. In the early 1980s, Pedròn (the current president of Gruppo Italiano Vini) used to come to my house to negotiate the price of the grapes. At that time he was assistant to Paronetto, the wonderful technicial of the aforementioned company, a legend, a ‘deus ex machina’ for oenologists. Then I built our first wine-producing cellar in San bonifacio, but it soon became too small. Furthermore, the Council had assigned my land to the building of a school and council houses and so I sold it in the 1970s. I therefore had to move to our present location where the first cellar complex was built.
But let’s go back for a moment. After the war, grape production was almost exclusively limited to the hills. Grapes were bought by the large companies and processed at small private companies. At that time the famous “dazio” duty was enforced, a tax applied by councils on wine and agricultural products.
To go into the city from Porta Nuova and Porta Vescovo you had to pay duty on certain goods established by the Council. Once the bill of entry had been supplied and collected, entry was allowed on payment of a sum that depended on the quantity of goods. The tax inspector later went to the wine cellars to check the sale takings. Why then did companies like Pasqua and Montresor buy up so many inns? Because it was possible to have a season ticket, to pay an accumulative tax on deliveries. On the other hand, this entry pass, for some big names of the time, was fatal: I would exclude Bertani. Gradually, in the main areas of production, there was a cyclic setting up of wine cooperatives (already existing in the Soave territory) that put the farmer, who found himself up against an organization that he couldn’t refuse, into a corner. And, consequently, those companies that made wine “in loco” on the plots of land they owned in the various areas, began to disappear.
The first Inama white wine production
In the beginning Giuseppe Inama only made white wines. For years they were the leading players of my cellar and my business… I would say I was obliged to. I’m originally from the Trento area and I love the wines from those lands. I wanted, in view of this, to experiment in small areas on the Foscarino where Garganega and Trebbiano vines were in the majority. During my stay at S. Michele all’Adige, I had learnt about the Gewürztraminer, aromatic Traminer and Pinot bianco varieties. I decided to experiment small plots dedicated to Pinot bianco, Riesling Renano, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Grigio on Foscarino. But these vines planted in our area ripened too early at the end of August. They turned out to be nectar for the birds!
Merit for the first Sauvignon Vineyard on Foscarino goes to Inama
In Alto Adige traditional Sauvignon was disappearing to be replaced by Loire Sauvignon, which is very aromatic. It was the mid 1980s. Anyway, I went to Terlano, near the Uber farmstead, to buy the old Sauvignon shoots which were kept in well-controlled temperature conditions. This was one factor that convinced me to try a new plantation in my vineyards, with the collaboration of Tutzer, the famous plant breeder from Bolzano, with whom we prepared the saplings. Against everyone’s opinion (the idea was not convincing, the wine wasn’t from this area…), I got down to work on the new project of adapting Sauvignon to Foscarino which, let’s not forget, was the classic area for Soave. The French clone yielded an abundant production, a more robust but less scented wine compared to, for example, the same wine produced in Alto Adige. Obviously some concepts had to be revised…. Above all, I replaced the plants grown on bowers with high spurred cord, which ensures less production and pruning is much easier to manage. The appropriate selections were made (lasting about 7 years for our Sauvignon). I would like to point out how the selection of new vines for planting generally involves years and years of continual checking the incidence of various factors (disease, climatic effects, nature of the soil…). I tried to scrupulously assess and grade the development of this adjustment… I was one of the first to use new barrels for white wines. A procedure that rang of scandal because the new wood left a marked taste, and yet, over time, day by day, the structure of the Sauvignon improved!
Let’s talk about Soave too
We have tried to recreate, in its original territory, that old Soave which had gradually been lost due to a too intensive production not being properly looked after, but the memory of which was still alive in tradition and in local history. We researched the traces of a century-old procedure. An exciting rediscovery, a ten-year march. My previous experience with Anselmi should be included in this… In the end, we decided to use wood (as did Bolla and Bertani, whose Soave wines were sold on the traditional foreign markets of Canada, USA and Japan) for the wine which was to become, for Inama, the real Soave Classico – an intensely structured wine which went on to become a market success, arousing extreme interest among the wine sector operators.
Inama reds
My son Stefano immediately knew how to get on the market band wagon. For my part I continued to recieve requests for a “good red” wine alongside the white. Together, father and son decided to extend some of the plots thus widening the productive reality of Inama. The compass needle indicated the Valpolicella area. Prices were, to say the least, prohibitive… And so, with the help of Giuseppe Carcereri, an extremely valid technician, and after tasting a selection of wines from the different areas, we opted for an extremely winning choice, right near here within the Berici Hills. An area that is ideal for obtaining limited yet excellent yield thanks to a series of natural factors. Passion for wine comes from the plant and not vice versa…. Two additional Inama plantations then – one property with an old courtyard and a young vineyard which went on to produce the wine known as Bradisismo, (unleashed ‘ex novo’ from the veins of that red land that was crossed in ancient times by telluric currents and which has constructed for itself, in one bound, its own “history”, receiving immediate and unanimous acclaim) – and a low area with a little church and old Carmenère vineyards – a unique plant with a minimum production that gives a red wine with a great future. After two stormy years (from a climatic point of view) we have waited, continuing in the meantime our experiments with the Carmenère grapes. We definitely won’t be disappointed, this harvest will be the best. About two years ago we decided to completely renew the company – from the workers in the vineyard, to tools, to machinery. I should add that I put myself out to pasture two years ago but I’m always ready and available. I let my son get on with things. It’s his turn now to do the evaluating and take the right decisions. From Stefano I have learnt to emerge from habit, I’ve become used to listening and taking risks. On the other hand, my teachings have been well received: use passion, constancy, resources… What counts, in the end, is obtaining the best from the vine. To make great wine, one has to work in full respect of Nature and work hard in the cellar….
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Our ambition 
After working in the Veneto for more than half a century we are more aware than ever that there is still much to discover. But a few things have been clear from the beginning. In order to produce 'classic' wines, wines that faithfully reflect not only tradition but also the terroir from which they have risen, it is essential to have the following:
· A unique environment suited to grape production
· A variety adapted to that environment
· The patience, the passion and the ability to encourage without overwhelming
Day after day, year after year, we try to understand and interpret these factors.
White Wines
Everything started in the early 90s with Garganega and with Sauvignon Blanc.
Curiously, Sauvignon Blanc was the very first wine we bottled. The idea was to prove that the lava hills of the Soave Classico are world-class in terms of white wine potential. At that time nobody would credit Soave, no matter how good, with any significance and so we decided to plant an 
“international” variety to prove the region’s worth. As it happened, our Sauvignon, planted in the late 80s, turned out completely different compared to anything else in the world. None of the grassy, pepper and cat’s pee on a gooseberry bush here, just masses of structure and a host of exotic, Mediterranean flavors including citrus, pineapple, passion fruit and coffee beans. Today our Sauvignon continues to enjoy huge success and has carved its own niche. We produce two dry wines. Vulcaia is fermented and matured in stainless steel and the grapes are 
harvested slightly earlier than those used for the barrel-fermented Vulcaia Fumé. In certain vintages we also produce a late-harvest version, Vulcaia Après, treated to a spell in acacia wood barriques.
Of course, producing a definitive Soave Classico was the next, and the most important, step. We spent a long time asking local growers what Soave “used to be,” when it was one of the best-known whites in the world. The answers weren’t all that surprising but they did run contrary to much of what modern 
winemaking takes for granted. Old-fashioned techniques, using more skin-contact and less sulphur, appeared to be what was required. In all our trials Garganega responded incredibly well to this minimalist, almost ancestral oenology. The wines were alive, bursting with flavour, and remarkably long-lived. Today, we still use much the same techniques whether we ferment in vat or in barrel.
The result of all our research is a range of Soave Classicos that we firmly believe showcases the region’s terroir. The Vin Soave is perhaps the most
representative wine comprising, as it does, a blend of Garganega selected from our own vineyards in the hills in the heart of the Classico zone. The Vigneti di Foscarino, only made in good years from selected grapes and old vines (over 35 years), epitomises the grace and elegance of a classic reserve wine. Vigneto du Lot represents a thoroughly modern take on Soave and comes from a single vineyard in which we have trellised the grapes to maximise their 
exposure to the sun.
The aromatic and mouthfilling sensations found in all three wines are the exclusive characteristics of an old world Classico wine. The nose is reminiscent of field flowers such
as camomile, elder and iris. On the palate Garganega’s unmistakeable minerality provides the backbone whilst the acidity provides focus and longevity. Good Soave develops in bottle. After a few years the initial floral notes turn to honey and stone fruit; the wine packs on mid-palate weight and becomes increasingly versatile with food.
Red Wines
In 1997 we discovered that the Colli Berici had virtually limitless reserves when it came
to making red wines that were unmistakeably a reflection of a unique terroir. The combination of red clay topsoil on limestone bedrock and the hot, dry summers create a unique microclimate. Recognising the potential in an area previously known for its oceans of Vino da Tavola we decided to pioneer the production of a super-premium red wine that unlocked the region’s ancient, volcanic soils (the Colli Berici is, in geographer’s parlance, a bradysism).
We started in that very year with a selection of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère and Merlot that we purchased from a few local growers. After 15 months in new Allier and 
Never barriques the result was beyond all our expectations. A powerful yet elegant variation on the Bordeaux theme emerged in which the soft fruit, cocoa and black pepper of the ripe Carmenère balanced the black cherry of the Cabernet Sauvignon. We christened the wine Bradisismo (after the geological phenomenon that gave rise to this incredible wine).
This experiment in 1997 encouraged us to purchase our own vineyards: a perfect plot of Cabernet Sauvignon, an east-facing parcel of Carmenère and we signed a long-term contract to ensure our supply of beautifully ripe Merlot. Bradisismo continues to go from strength to strength; we learn more about our new vineyards every year. 2000, however, broke all the rules. The tremendous heat in the
summer combined with near-drought conditions produced a minimal quantity of Cabernet Sauvignon of unprecedented richness. We decided to release a single-vineyard, single-varietal red wine for the very first time.
Oracolo (the Oracle) will only ever be produced in exceptional vintages and in extremely limited quantities. Oracolo reflects the Colli Berici: its power, its concentration and its longevity come from the soil. It is inky black and viscous with racy acidity and masses of ripe tannins. It is an amiable monster that we have created here in the ancient hills of the Veneto.
Now that all our black grape vineyards have entered production we have introduced two new wines to compliment our range. The first is Carmenere Più, an appealing and 
affordable blend deliberately vinified for early drinking. Carmenere’s signature notes of soy sauce and cocoa are here supported by both Merlot and Raboso Veronese, a forgotten local variety that we have successfully re-introduced. Oratorio di San Lorenzo is crafted entirely from Carmenere but shares none of Carmenere Più’s precocious charms. Only made in the best vintages and from a hand-selection of the finest grapes, it is both a brother for Oracolo and our finest expression of the unique personality of the Colli Berici. Both Carmenere Più and Oratorio di San Lorenzo reflect more then ten years hard work and we are delighted with the result.
