Serègo Alighieri

In the Valpolicella Classico region lies the estate Serègo Alighieri, not far from the city of Verona and Lake Garda. The estate was originally owned by the Alighieri family, who acquired it as a place of exile.

How the divine comedy led to wine

When one reads the name of Serègo Alighieri, the association with one of Italy's greatest poets inevitably comes to mind. And this association is not by chance, in fact it was Pietro Alighieri, son of Dante Alighieri, the author of the Divine Comedy, who in 1353 acquired Casal dei Ronchi, from which the present estate Serègo Alighieri was born.

The second name of the estate was added in 1549, when there were no more male descendants in the Alighieri family. So the Alighieris married into the powerful family Serègo, and from then on the descendants of this union called themselves Serègo Alighieri.

Serègo Alighieri - two families united

The wine-growing tradition of the estate was fundamentally reformed under Macantonio Serègo in the 16th century, and in the 18th century grape varieties were planted for the first time on specific terroirs in order to obtain the best results. The phylloxera plague did not spare Serègo Alighieri either, and so Pieralvise Serègo Alighieri founded an agricultural school in Gargagno in 1920 and had the area replanted with autochthonous grape varieties.

Experience history at the Serègo Alighieri winery

In 1973, the Masi Group acquired Serègo Alighieri and built its reputation worldwide as one of the most famous historic Venetian wineries. Serègo Alighieri is now open to the public and offers very interesting glimpses into the viticulture of the past with its buildings made from the local prunestone, the historic drying cellar, and one of the oldest cellars in Valpolicella.

Vinifcation at Serègo Alighieri

In the cellar of Serègo Alighieri lie the grapes for the appassimento method, in which the grapes are dried and thus their sugar content is concentrated. The grapes for the wine of the same name and its sweet brother, the Recioto, are left for at least 100 days.

The wines are aged in 600-litre cherry wood barrels, which open up surprising aromas off the beaten track, as well as some oak barrels for the initial maturation, since cherry wood is very porous and can only be used for a maximum of 4 months.

The Vaio Armaron - world class enjoyment

One of the most famous wines of Serègo Alighieri is the Vaio Armaron Amarone, which was already counted among the world's best wines by Wine Spectator. It combines the typical advantages and peculiarities of Serègo Alighieri, like for instance the use of an in-house clone of the Molinara grape, as well as the use of the above mentioned cherry wood barrels.

In addition to its top wine, Serègo Alighieri also produces:

• four other red wines
• two white wines
• Grappa made from Amarone marc
• Specialities such as olive oil, jam, honey or chestnut cream