Storia
The estate before Bertani
Tenuta Novare was already a substantial agricultural property before joining Bertani. Its land was organised around 13 rural courts and included vineyards, olive groves, cherry trees, woodland and abundant natural vegetation. The Bolla family, a direct competitor of Bertani, occupied the estate as tenants at the time of its sale.
1957: acquisition by Bertani
Bertani acquired Tenuta Novare in 1957. The account preserved in the estate’s history relates that the former owner lost the property through gambling on a Saturday night and had to settle the resulting debt by sunset. Cavalier Bertani arranged for a bank to open exceptionally on Sunday morning so that he could withdraw the cash required to complete the purchase. The speed of the transaction also had a strategic purpose: after taking possession, Bertani moved immediately to end the tenancy held by the Bolla family.
The acquisition comprised approximately 200 hectares in Arbizzano di Negrar, in the heart of Valpolicella Classica. It brought Bertani the site it had sought for roughly half a century in order to create a red wine conceived for long ageing. Tenuta Novare consequently became the centre of Bertani’s work with Amarone della Valpolicella Classico and Valpolicella Classico Superiore.
1958: the first Amarone vintage
The first official vintage of Bertani Amarone della Valpolicella Classico was 1958. It was produced from Corvina and Rondinella grown at Tenuta Novare and employed natural appassimento. Healthy, intact bunches were laid by hand on wooden racks known as arele and allowed to dry in traditional lofts without forced control of temperature or humidity.
Development of the Novare vineyards and cellar work
Tenuta Novare developed into the historic Valpolicella Classica component of Bertani’s holdings. Approximately 75 hectares were under vine by the account published in 2021, including 30 hectares of new plantings. Vineyards continued to share the 200-hectare amphitheatre with woods, olive groves, cherry trees and other vegetation, while seven natural springs provided a continuous water supply.
Ernesto Barbero served as Bertani’s oenologist from 1959 to 1989. His formulation of the house’s Amarone ideal placed the wine between two extremes: neither an overwhelmingly concentrated, alcoholic wine reserved for rare occasions nor a generic, less distinctive red, but a dry and ageworthy wine balancing depth with freshness and drinkability.
In later years the team began harvesting earlier and selecting vine biotypes. For the traditional Amarone, it retained its focus on Corvina rather than introducing Corvinone, seeking the elegance associated with Corvina. Research also addressed ageing woods and closures. From 2015, work concentrated on reducing alcoholic strength; the proportion of cherry wood was cut and Slavonian oak assumed a larger role, part of an effort to return to the estate’s earlier stylistic direction.
2013 and 2018: new ownership structure
Tenuta Novare became part of Angelini’s wine holdings in 2013. Angelini’s arrival followed a period in which the large number of Bertani family heirs and differing views about investment or sale had created a risk that the property might be fragmented. The new owner maintained the estate within Bertani and supported continued investment in its vineyards and wines. In 2018 Bertani became a Società Agricola, formally tying wine production to vineyards under its ownership.
The single-vineyard project
Ognisanti became Bertani’s first single-vineyard wine. Its name derives from the old Ognisanti chapel within the vineyard, a building that belonged for centuries to the friars of San Tomaso.
A subsequent Bertani Cru project gave individual expression to two Tenuta Novare sites. The inaugural releases were Valpolicella Classico Le Miniere 2020 and Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ognisanti 2019, presented in preview in 2021. The project placed the individual territory ahead of production technique or a predetermined house style: Le Miniere interprets two south-west-facing terraces above the old mine tunnel, while Ognisanti comes from eight west-facing terraces above the chapel.
Terroir
Tenuta Novare lies at Arbizzano di Negrar in Valpolicella Classica, in the province of Verona. Its approximately 200 hectares form a natural amphitheatre in which vineyards alternate with woodland, olive groves, cherry trees and abundant native vegetation. Seven natural springs provide a continuous water supply.
Valpolicella Classica occupies a landscape of valleys descending from the Monti Lessini toward the Veronese plain. Warm air from Lake Garda meets colder air descending from the Monti Lessini. The broader geological matrix encompasses basalt, marine breccias, limestone mixed with clay, red and white limestone, and terraced soils retained by dry-stone marogne built from stones cleared from the land.
Within Tenuta Novare, soils range from clay-rich calcareous ground with substantial iron and manganese to basalt-rich sectors. This variability underpins the distinction between the estate’s sites. Le Miniere occupies terraces above an old mine tunnel and is explicitly associated with iron. Ognisanti lies on west-facing terraces uphill from its historic chapel.
Vinificazione
Work in the vineyards is guided by preservation of their genetic patrimony and the biodiversity of the land. The Novare massal selection of Corvina Veronese is maintained in both named cru vineyards, while the technical team has continued selecting biotypes to refine the relationship between vine material and site.
The estate’s agricultural mosaic extends beyond vines to woods, olive groves, cherry trees and natural vegetation. Seven springs contribute a dependable natural water resource. Low-impact ecological practices are paired with detailed study rather than a fixed agronomic dogma.
For the traditional Amarone, the team has moved harvest dates earlier and maintained a focus on Corvina, declining to introduce Corvinone into that particular blend in order to favour Corvina’s elegance. Harvest timing is determined by the simultaneous balance of sugar, acidity and phenolic maturity. Healthy, intact bunches selected for appassimento are handled individually and placed by hand on wooden arele.
Tenuta Novare contains the historic drying loft used for the natural messa a riposo of grapes destined for Amarone. Healthy, intact bunches are placed by hand, one by one, on traditional wooden racks called arele. Drying proceeds without forced temperature or humidity control. The duration responds to the condition of the vintage and the composition of the grapes; the 2015 harvest, when climate change was first perceived as materially affecting grape composition and drying time, rested for 78 days.
After drying, the grapes are crushed and the must ferments slowly in cement tanks. Fermentations can exceed 50 days; the 2015 vintage remained in fermentation for 45 days. The long cement fermentation is intended to build higher alcohols and glycerol while retaining aromatic richness and elegance.
Amarone subsequently matures in large Slavonian oak casks. The core method requires at least six years in wood, while current technical information specifies 50–100-hectolitre casks and approximately seven years of maturation; the 2015 vintage spent 2,610 days, close to eight years, in cask. Bottle maturation lasts at least 12 months. Beginning in 2015, the team reduced the share of cherry wood and made greater use of Slavonian oak while researching closures and working toward lower alcohol and a return to a lighter, traditionally dry style.
The estate’s cru project uses different élevage according to site: Le Miniere is matured in cement, while Ognisanti is matured in French oak. These distinct regimes support a project in which the individual vineyard is placed ahead of a uniform production formula.
Filosofia
Tenuta Novare’s governing principles are respect, coherence and patience. Respect begins with the choice of place and extends to the genetic patrimony of the vineyards, the estate’s biodiversity, naturally dried grapes and minimally invasive cellar work. Coherence means maintaining a recognisably dry, elegant style rather than following trends or adopting easier production solutions. Patience is expressed through slow fermentation and many years of maturation.
Tradition is treated as an active choice built through research, comparison, analysis and courage. Established methods are reassessed rather than followed as immutable rules. The technical objective is continuity without stasis: to preserve the identity developed since the first Amarone vintage while responding to changes in climate, vine material and cellar knowledge.
The estate’s Amarone ideal places elegance before power. It seeks a balance between the concentration and longevity expected of the style and the freshness, moderate weight and drinkability of a great dry red. The cru project applies the same principle at vineyard scale by placing the character of Le Miniere and Ognisanti before technique or a predetermined house formula.