TÉLOS

Conception and launch, 2010–2011

The first TÉLOS bottles were conceived in 2010 as Famiglia Castagnedi expanded its work on sustainability applied to wine. The project grew out of Tenuta Sant’Antonio’s discovery that it was possible to produce wine without adding sulfites and became the fullest expression of that research. A later account identifies 2011 as the year in which the brand itself was born.

From its inception, the aim was broader than the removal of added sulfites. TÉLOS was intended to produce wholesome wines in harmony with people, the environment and the wider community, excluding synthetic chemical and animal-derived products and obtaining vegan certification. It became the research-and-development arm of the family business: a field for integrated agriculture, organic conversion, reduced intervention and contemporary responses to changing expectations around wine.

“Soft vitienology,” 2016

By 2016 the Castagnedi brothers described their TÉLOS approach as vitienologia soft. Practices in both vineyard and cellar were reduced to the minimum needed to protect the fruit, avoid added sulfites and preserve the authentic character of varieties led by Corvina and Garganega. Paolo Castagnedi connected the project to the family’s long-standing investment in viticulture respectful of both the environment and consumers. Tiziano Castagnedi defined intact, uncontaminated grapes as the central objective and emphasized that the work therefore begins in the vineyard.

On 1 December 2016, the family organized a seminar devoted to this approach. Tiziano and Paolo presented the practical experience of TÉLOS alongside viticulture researcher Diego Tomasi and Wine Meridian director Fabio Piccoli. The discussion placed the project within a broader need to protect water and soil, lower environmental pressure, prevent vineyard disease through better management and deliver wines that are simultaneously high-quality and wholesome.

TÉLOS also entered a phase of international promotion. In May 2016 the family participated in Vinexpo Hong Kong as one of 21 Italian producers in a delegation representing nine regions and 250 labels. The event followed a commercial agreement with a Japanese importer and formed part of a wider effort to establish the family’s wines in Asian markets.

Family identity and research role, 2017

In April 2017 the words “Famiglia Castagnedi” were added to labels across the family portfolio, including TÉLOS. The change presented Armando, Tiziano, Paolo and Massimo Castagnedi as the common identity behind two complementary directions: the family’s traditional wines and an R&D division whose turning point was TÉLOS. At that stage, the latter was explicitly associated with organic wine, integrated agriculture and production without added sulfites.

Organic conversion and investment, 2021–2022

Investments announced for 2021–2023 covered vineyards, cellar, logistics, management systems and Industry 4.0 machinery, with more than €3 million allocated across the family business to improve efficiency and reduce impact. In January 2022 TÉLOS was still described as being in organic conversion, already vegan and produced without added sulfites. Its sales had grown by 26% in 2021 over 2020, led by L’Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG.

At Vinitaly in April 2022, TÉLOS was presented as a manifesto for the future of wine, combining nature, human well-being, vegan certification, organic conversion and the absence of added sulfites. A dedicated presentation and tasting on 11 April involved Angelo Radica and Paolo Corbini of the Associazione Nazionale Città del Vino and journalist and ambassador Carmen Guerriero.

Organic certification, 2023–2024

The 2023 harvest marked the decisive completion of the conversion: TÉLOS became certified organic. This milestone united three central attributes—organic certification, vegan certification and no added sulfites—while retaining the goals of longevity, precise expression, cleanliness and fidelity to the territory.

Commercial results accompanied the transition. In 2023, German sales rose by about 30% over 2022, driven particularly by TÉLOS Il Bianco; Switzerland represented approximately 35% of foreign sales, while Japan had accounted for 18% of exports in the preceding year.

At Vinitaly 2024, Famiglia Castagnedi presented TÉLOS Il Bianco 2023 as the brand’s first certified-organic label. The family framed the release as the outcome of continuous agronomic and enological innovation directed toward human and environmental well-being. The current range extends the project across Il Bianco “Bio,” Il Pinot Grigio “Bio,” Il Rosso and L’Amarone.

TÉLOS belongs to the Castagnedi family’s viticultural setting between Soave and Valpolicella in eastern Verona. The shared winery is at San Briccio, among the hills of the Illasi and Mezzane valleys, while the family’s vineyards extend across two distinct territories.

Valpolicella

The Valpolicella vineyards occupy a hilly band close to the Alps at approximately 120–130 m above sea level. Lake Garda breezes moderate the climate. The ground is compact and contains a calcareous skeleton. TÉLOS Il Rosso connects the identity of these valleys with black graphite and marl, as well as with the area’s Rosso Verona marble. L’Amarone likewise expresses a marked graphite character linked to its soils.

Soave and the eastern Veronese hills

The Soave territory forms part of the eastern Monti Lessini. The area was covered by the sea millions of years ago and experienced repeated underwater volcanic activity. Its present geology combines basalt from volcanic flows with fossil-origin calcareous sediments. The vineyards again occupy the 120–130 m foothill band near the Alps, with Lake Garda moderating the climate. Il Bianco is presented as an interpretation of the characteristic grapes and terroir of eastern Verona.

The wider quality project emphasizes the volcanic and sulfur-bearing hills of eastern Valpolicella and Soave, seeking verticality, mineral character, complexity and a modern expression of place.

TÉLOS follows the Castagnedi concept of vitienologia soft: vineyard and cellar interventions are reduced to the minimum compatible with sound fruit, the avoidance of added sulfites and an accurate expression of the grapes. The project initially excluded synthetic chemical and animal-derived products and obtained vegan certification.

The approach places grape integrity at the center of production. Vineyard work is intended to deliver fruit uncontaminated by added sulfites or chemical agents and to respect the complete chain from plant to glass. Corvina and Garganega were identified as leading examples of the varieties whose authentic character this restrained approach was designed to preserve.

TÉLOS was in certified-organic conversion in 2022. The 2023 harvest became the first certified-organic vintage, completing the brand’s intended combination of organic farming, vegan certification and production without added sulfites. The transition was supported by agronomic and cellar research directed toward the well-being of people and the environment.

TÉLOS originated from cellar research into producing stable, expressive wine without adding sulfites. Its production model treats vineyard and cellar as one continuous process: sound, intact grapes are the starting point, and intervention is reduced to the minimum required to preserve purity, longevity and territorial identity.

The range is vegan certified and excludes animal-derived production products. Il Rosso and L’Amarone are explicitly made without added sulfites. The certified-organic whites are described as having a low level of added sulfites; Pinot Grigio is matured in stainless steel. The red wines are wood-aged, and L’Amarone receives maturation in French-oak tonneaux. No general fermentation temperatures, yeast policy, maceration schedule, sulfur thresholds, filtration regime or bottling protocol are defined for the range as a whole.