Storia
Family origins
SCAIA belongs to Famiglia Castagnedi, the enterprise created by brothers Armando, Tiziano, Paolo and Massimo Castagnedi. The brothers grew up among their father’s vineyards in San Zeno di Colognola ai Colli and Valpolicella. Their common project combined rural roots, extensive familiarity with vines and land, international experience and an ambition to pursue excellence through close attention at every stage of production.
The family’s wider viticultural enterprise began taking shape in 1989 with the purchase of property on the Monti Garbi. Estate production and bottling began in 1995, and a winery for pressing, vinification and bottling was built on the Monti Garbi in 2000.
2004 — creation of SCAIA
SCAIA originated in 2004, during an expansion that included the purchase of additional vineyard hectares. It was conceived as a distinct brand for new interpretations of the territory’s grapes under IGT denominations. The project translated Veronese tradition into a deliberately contemporary idiom, joining local varieties with an open use of international grapes and modern stylistic ideas.
Development of the identity
SCAIA developed as the creative and dynamic face of the Castagnedi portfolio. Its wines were positioned as contemporary expressions of an old local tradition, built around attention, imagination and grapes associated with the Veronese territory. The brand’s visual identity became part of the same concept: art, colour and label design accompany the wine and are intended to foster emotions, stories and a sense of community.
2020 — Famiglia Castagnedi umbrella
In 2020 the brothers formalised the complete Famiglia Castagnedi identity after 25 years of experience. SCAIA became one of the three principal brands united by this family signature, while retaining its own creative and contemporary character.
Continuing evolution
The project is presented as dynamic rather than fixed. Each vintage is approached with a fresh outlook, while tradition and the character of Veronese terroir remain its reference points. Its continuing development responds to new consumer expectations and market challenges through original communication, evolving winemaking practices and a combination of native and international varieties.
Terroir
SCAIA’s identity is rooted in the Veronese hills and is presented in particular as a creative interpretation of Valpolicella. The wider family vineyards extend between Soave and Valpolicella, two territories with distinct characteristics and personalities.
In Valpolicella, Lake Garda breezes moderate the climate. The soils are compact and contain a limestone skeleton, while the vineyards occupy a hilly zone near the Alps. The English-language estate description places this belt at 250–350 metres above sea level.
The broader Veronese setting also includes Soave in the Eastern Lessini Mountains. Its geological formation records an ancient marine environment and submarine volcanic activity, leaving basalt from lava flows together with calcareous sediments of fossil origin. Lake Garda also moderates this area’s climate.
SCAIA’s territorial concept is not limited to native grapes: it combines Veronese varieties with international cultivars, using both to reinterpret local identity in a modern register.
Vinificazione
Viticulture is framed by the Castagnedi family’s longstanding familiarity with its land between Soave and Valpolicella. The four brothers grew up among their father’s vineyards and connect their rural origins with close attention throughout the production cycle.
Respect for nature and knowledge of terroir are treated as foundations of SCAIA’s quality. The family describes intimate familiarity with the terrain and with the daily movement of sun and shade through the vineyards. No separate SCAIA farming protocol or brand-specific certification is defined.
SCAIA was conceived for new interpretations of territorial grapes within IGT denominations. Production combines Veronese tradition with a modern approach and brings together native and international varieties. The range includes wines matured in stainless steel as well as a red matured in wood. A Cabernet Sauvignon expression has also been made from dried grapes, applying the local culture of appassimento to an international variety.
The production philosophy is described in terms of evolving traditional methods through new oenological practices and advanced techniques intended to highlight organoleptic character. Exact cellar procedures, fermentation parameters and maturation periods are not defined at brand level.
Filosofia
SCAIA presents Veronese tradition through a young, modern and creative vocabulary. Its central idea is not to abandon inherited culture, but to reinterpret it: links to local history and terroir remain intact while varieties, winemaking choices, design and communication are allowed to evolve.
Attention, imagination and territorial grapes form the core of this identity. Native varieties can be combined with international ones, and each vintage is approached with a fresh perspective while retaining fidelity to the quality and character of Veronese terroir.
Respect for nature and close knowledge of the land are presented as the basis of quality. Creativity extends beyond production to bottle and label design, where art and colour are used to express a contemporary version of Valpolicella and to engage a new generation of consumers.
Community is another explicit part of the brand identity. The motto “It looks like wine, it feels like community” positions wine as an experience to be shared through emotions and stories. SCAIA is therefore conceived both as wine and as a cultural language joining territorial authenticity, sensory pleasure, visual art and social connection.