La Collina Dei Ciliegi

Family roots in Erbin

The estate grew from the Gianolli family's personal bond with Erbin, a small village of Cimbrian origin in Valpantena. Armando Gianolli, Massimo Gianolli's father, was cared for there as an infant. Massimo later spent part of his formative youth in the same community. These connections became the emotional foundation of Massimo's promise to Valpantena and Erbin and of the project developed as La Collina dei Ciliegi.

The project combined winegrowing with the restoration and continued life of the historic village. Its stated ambition was exceptionally high: to pursue the best wine the team could make while respecting the slower rhythms of land, seasons and maturation.

2017: the high-altitude project begins

In 2017, Massimo Gianolli and vice-president Christian Roger met terroir specialists Lydia and Claude Bourguignon. Together with a wider professional team, they began mapping, analysing and taking core samples from the estate's high-altitude ground. The purpose was to understand the individual soils of this part of Valpantena and identify sites capable of being treated as distinct crus.

May 2018: first new planting

The first vineyard installation arising from this research was completed in May 2018. The resulting initiative was initially presented as the SuperValpantena wine project and is now identified as the Alta project. It occupies the highest elevations of Valpantena within the Valpolicella denomination area and encompasses a series of separately identified high-altitude vineyards.

2019: En Primeur and hospitality development

In 2019, Massimo Gianolli allocated cru areas to an En Primeur model centred on Amarone Ciliegio. Participants purchased a 225-litre barrique while the wine was still maturing and could follow its development through barrel tastings before bottling. The first En Primeur celebration took place that year.

The estate's hospitality component operated as Ca' del Moro Wine Retreat. In 2019, the retreat received Touring Club's “Stanze italiane” recognition, one of four properties selected in Italy that year.

2020: reopening, media project and international partnership

Following the enforced interruption to hospitality activity, Ca' del Moro Wine Retreat reopened in June 2020 with an integrated programme of guided outdoor activities, cellar tastings, vineyard picnics and accommodation. At that point the estate covered 53 ha, including 30 ha of vineyards, and stood between 500 and 700 m above sea level.

From 24 to 29 August 2020, the resort became the base for the Donnavventura team while it filmed an itinerary through Valpantena and Lessinia. Massimo Gianolli coordinated the participating municipalities and local organisations. The tour began at the estate with the presentation of a commemorative sparkling wine.

On 9 July 2020, La Collina dei Ciliegi and French wine group AdVini formed AdVini Italia S.p.A. The new company was owned 51% by AdVini and 49% by La Collina dei Ciliegi. Its objectives included distributing the estate's fine wines and forthcoming high-altitude crus through AdVini's international network, bringing selected AdVini wines to Italy and integrating Ca' del Moro into AdVini's wine-tourism network. Antoine Leccia became chairman and Massimo Gianolli chief executive of the joint venture.

By the second En Primeur celebration on 26 September 2020, attendance had tripled from the first edition and 13 new participants had joined the club. Gianolli set the then-current objective of eventually reserving 75% of Amarone cru Ciliegio for En Primeur members.

The 2020 company profile recorded 53 ha of land, 30 ha under vine, nine labels in two collections, production of 160,000 bottles, more than 220 international recognitions and over €15 million invested at Erbin.

2020–2024: export-development programme

La Collina dei Ciliegi led the four-company “GO FAR – GO WINE” partnership under Veneto's POC FESR 2014–2020 programme. Work packages covered market analysis and feasibility studies for the United States and China, export consultancy, coordinated branding, participation in ProWein and Vinitaly between 2020 and 2024, and incoming programmes for foreign buyers. The pandemic complicated the latter activity. Eligible expenditure amounted to €499,407.60, with an awarded contribution of €249,703.80.

Restoration of the village and the present hospitality complex

The present La Collina dei Ciliegi Wine Resort & Restaurant resulted from the careful restoration of an ancient Cimbrian village. Traditional construction methods associated with Lessinia mountain shelters were retained, with stone, lime, wood and natural fibres used alongside contemporary comfort and sustainability measures. The restored complex now combines wine production, accommodation, dining, tastings, outdoor experiences and event spaces.

The Alta project is based on detailed site investigation rather than treating the high-altitude estate as uniform ground. Beginning in 2017, the team mapped the terrain, analysed soils and took core samples; the first resulting planting was installed in May 2018. The project records an average planting density of 7,692 rooted vines per hectare and a total of 161,500 rooted vine cuttings.

High elevation is used to lengthen ripening. Fruit in the estate's highest vineyards can mature as much as a month later than fruit on the valley floor. At Prea, harvesting can extend well into October; at Peratara it continues until late September. Both sites are harvested by hand, with selection of the best bunches.

Sustainability measures connect vineyard management with the wider estate ecosystem. Brogna sheep, a breed protected by a Slow Food Presidium, graze the grass between the rows. Their quiet grazing controls vegetation, improves the soil and helps recycle nutrients. Bees provide honey while supporting pollination and biodiversity. The vineyards and estate vegetable garden are cultivated using stated sustainable practices.

The production programme combines a high-altitude cru project with Valpolicella's established denominations. Soil mapping and coring precede site selection, while vineyard lots such as Prea and Peratara are harvested by hand.

The estate employs several vessel types within its cellar. Documented production equipment includes temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats, concrete tanks, large wooden casks, French-oak barriques and tonneaux, amphorae and Clayver ceramic vessels. Estate red-wine work includes destemming, gentle crushing, controlled fermentation, maceration, délestage and pumping over; whole-cluster soft pressing and concrete fermentation are used for the high-altitude white from Prea.

The En Primeur programme follows selected Amarone Ciliegio from its early barrel phase. A member is assigned a barrel and may monitor the wine through tastings during maturation. Temperature and humidity are controlled while it rests in the cellar. After barrel ageing, the wine is bottled in either 0.75-litre or 1.5-litre formats, labelled and numbered by hand. Bottles may then be delivered or retained for further storage in the estate's Vault.