S. Cristina (Zenato)

Origins in San Benedetto di Lugana

The estate’s history begins in 1960 in San Benedetto di Lugana. Sergio Zenato recognised the potential of Trebbiano di Lugana and began working to transform the local grape into a white wine of greater ambition and standing. His wife, Carla Prospero, shared the project from its beginnings; together they experimented, introduced innovations and focused on native varieties.

This work contributed to the development and recognition of Lugana DOC. The historical centre of the family’s activity became Tenuta S. Cristina, near Peschiera del Garda, within the morainic landscape south of Lake Garda.

Development of the Lugana vineyards

The family planted and developed vineyards in the San Benedetto area, progressively building a Lugana holding that reached 65 hectares by the 2023 reporting period. Podere Massoni became the estate’s oldest and most historically important vineyard. Its oldest blocks supply the estate’s principal Lugana selections, including Lugana S. Cristina and Lugana Riserva Sergio Zenato.

The estate also preserved a local red-wine component. Cabernet Sauvignon has been cultivated here for more than 30 years, reflecting the lesser-known tradition of red varieties south of Lake Garda. Chardonnay is likewise established in the Peschiera vineyards.

Expansion of the family project

The project that began at S. Cristina was later extended to Valpolicella. Although the grapes for the family’s principal Valpolicella reds come from Tenuta Costalunga, those wines are matured at S. Cristina. The Lugana estate therefore serves both as the birthplace of the family’s white wines and as an ageing site for its major Valpolicella reds.

Sergio and Carla’s children subsequently assumed responsibility for the family business. Alberto oversees production from vineyard to bottle, with particular responsibility for sustainable development, while Nadia directs marketing and the Italian market. Together they also manage international commercial development.

Sustainability programme

In 2021, Zenato Azienda Vitivinicola and Azienda Agricola S. Cristina began a formal sustainability programme covering environmental, economic and social performance throughout the chain from vineyard cultivation to winemaking, bottling and sale.

CSQA carried out the first Equalitas audit in May 2022. The first surveillance audit followed in 2023 and assessed biodiversity. The 2023 reporting period recorded soil and air biodiversity results above the protocol’s sufficiency thresholds at S. Cristina. A second CSQA surveillance audit took place in May 2024, with carbon- and water-footprint indicators scheduled for assessment at the 2025 renewal.

A cultural venue

S. Cristina has also developed into a venue for Zenato Academy’s cultural programme. In 2018, the photographic exhibition Nell’Oasi della Lugana, l’anima di Zenato moved to the estate after its inauguration at Verona’s Biblioteca Capitolare. In May 2022, the estate hosted Vino. Oltre il ritratto. From May 2024 it hosted Rachele Maistrello’s Rosa Sentinella, a photographic and multimedia project exploring viticulture, family memory, production spaces and the visual identity of Lugana.

Soil and vineyard floor

Chemical herbicides are not used. Vegetation between rows is mown or mulched, while the under-row zone is managed mechanically. Vineyard floors retain natural vegetation, supplemented where appropriate by organic seed mixtures.

Fertility and plant management

Fertilization follows integrated-production methods and the applicable regional protocols. Soil analyses are conducted by homogeneous zone and support a formal fertilization plan. The estate also uses an electronic field register, a vineyard-intervention plan and leaf analyses organized by homogeneous area.

Bud load is adjusted according to the yield obtained and the weight of pruning wood. Irrigation is applied according to the requirements of the crop and grape variety, with weather forecasts monitored continuously.

Plant protection

Treatments are determined using decision-support systems, vineyard observations and weather forecasts. Products must be registered for the crop and comply with the SQNPI integrated-production method. Field observations are recorded in an application and used to measure disease pressure alongside forecasting models and regional integrated-protection bulletins. Mating disruption is employed against grape moths and scale insects.

Harvest monitoring and traceability

Pre-harvest sampling follows a calendar specifying which vineyards must be monitored and when. Vineyard operations are entered into the management system and linked to individual vineyards through identification codes. Grape sampling and laboratory analysis track chemical, physical, sensory and phenolic-ripeness parameters. Grapes are subjected to targeted selection at reception.

Biodiversity

Vineyards remain continuously grassed with spontaneous plants or sown organic mixtures. Woodland, field margins, hedges and flower-seeded meadows provide ecological and buffer areas. The Biodiversity Friend protocol evaluates the quality of soil, air and water, supported by estate weather stations equipped with humidity sensors.

For Azienda Agricola S. Cristina, the 2023 average soil-biodiversity index was 122.5, against a sufficiency threshold of 100. The air and lichen biodiversity index was 62, against a threshold of 45, indicating very good air quality. No aquatic-biodiversity index could be calculated because the holding has no watercourses.

Tenuta S. Cristina is the production home of the Lugana white wines and an ageing site for the family’s principal Valpolicella reds.

The winery is equipped with modern vinification technology. Before harvest and reception, grape samples undergo laboratory, chemical, physical and sensory analysis, including monitoring of phenolic maturity. Incoming grapes are selected according to targeted quality criteria.

Written operating protocols cover the sequence from vinification through bottling, defining processing methods, product and process controls, and the recording of individual operations. Analytical checks are carried out both in the internal laboratory and by accredited external laboratories.

Cellar rooms, tanks and machinery are cleaned under procedures designed to rationalize water use and reduce energy consumption. Winery by-products are evaluated for reuse within a circular-economy approach. A tangential-filtration unit introduced in 2023 reduced water consumption, while new carton-forming, divider-inserting and sealing equipment reduced electricity consumption in the packaging operation by 15%. Investments also included tonneaux, large barrels, barriques, a grape elevator, sparkling-wine remuage baskets and an enzymatic analyser for the internal laboratory.