Giuva

La Giuva is described as a relatively young winery, founded by two sisters, Giulia and Valentina Malesani, together with their father, Alberto Malesani, a well-known Italian football coach. The three own 9.5 hectares of vineyards on the hills of Val Squaranto, in the province of Verona, an area where vineyards have not yet taken over the entire landscape. The winery's name combines the first letters of the sisters' names — GIU from Giulia and VA from Valentina — while La comes from reversing the initials of Alberto's name, AL.

The vineyards lie on the hills of Val Squaranto, one of the few parts of the province of Verona where vineyards have not yet taken over the entire landscape, at around 350 metres above sea level. The slopes are well-ventilated, with soils of white and red limestone.

The Malesani family follows organic winegrowing practices, certified by the Institute for Ethical and Environmental Certification (ICEA), one of Europe's main certification bodies for eco-friendly and organic products as well as natural and organic cosmetics. Maintaining ICEA certification requires annual assessment and quality checks at every stage of production. The family uses modern vineyard equipment, including specialist tractors able to work on both gentle and steep slopes. Natural grass cover is maintained between the vine rows, and green manure crops are planted from time to time and later worked into the soil to improve its structure, add nitrogen and help control weeds.

All La Giuva wines are made exclusively from native grape varieties: Corvina, with medium-sized bunches and characteristic wings known as recie; Corvinone, with loose bunches and large berries; Rondinella, with perfectly round, blue-black berries; and Oseleta, with small bunches that bring firm structure and deep colour. Together, these varieties are said to express the character of the local terroir.

The Malesani family describes itself as committed to respecting the land and the environment, which underlies its choice of organic winegrowing practices certified by ICEA.