Tenuta di Soave

The estate before the Rizzardi family

The hills surrounding Soave had been cultivated with vines for centuries, with the most highly regarded fruit coming from favorably exposed hillside sites. In the 1940s, Swedish naval officer Olof Henning Lorenz Hammargren acquired the property that would later form part of the present estate.

Acquisition of Tenda and Costeggiola

Count Antonio Rizzardi purchased Hammargren’s property in 1977. The land became the estate’s holding within the Tenda cru, including the site now associated with Ferra. The acquisition included a cellar in the rural settlement of Costeggiola, allowing the estate’s grapes to be vinified in Soave close to the vineyards.

A few years later, the family acquired Costeggiola. Subsequent vineyard additions, extensive replanting and changes to training systems expanded and qualitatively reshaped the property. The estate eventually grew to just over 15 hectares, occupying parts of the recognized Costeggiola and Tenda sites, including Ferra.

Maria Cristina Loredan Rizzardi and the cru approach

After Antonio Rizzardi’s death in 1983, Maria Cristina Loredan Rizzardi assumed responsibility for the family business. She expanded its vineyards and wines and, from 1985, applied the concept of the cru as a quality expression tied to a precisely defined vineyard. This approach became especially pertinent in Soave, where the best parcels and oldest vines were reserved for site-specific wines.

The next generation

From the late 1990s, Giuseppe, Orsola, Olimpia and Agostino Rizzardi entered the family company. The broader program combined new plantings, matching varieties to soils, refinement of vine-training systems and continued control of the chain from estate-grown fruit to bottling. Agostino and Giuseppe Rizzardi now lead Guerrieri Rizzardi as the family’s thirteenth generation; Giuseppe is also identified as co-owner and head of production.

Ferra and recent investment

Replanting and the introduction of new training systems progressively developed the potential of the Ferra site. Its first single-site bottling appeared with the 2014 vintage.

During 2024, the roof of the Soave cellar was rebuilt with an expenditure of €120,000. The estate also began work on its cellar wash-water drains and a €4,000 irrigation installation. In the same year, Guerrieri Rizzardi pursued and obtained Equalitas certification, covering its environmental, social and economic sustainability management.

Location and topography

The vineyards and cellar lie entirely within the municipality of Soave and the Classico production area. The 33 parcels occupy hillside ground on Costeggiola and beside the Castello di Soave. The estate is terraced and principally oriented south and southwest, with elevations extending from approximately 40 to 200 metres above sea level. A more technical description places the entirely hillside Soave holding between 50 and 200 metres.

Soils

Across the estate, clay, volcanic material and limestone occur together, with a marked presence of magnesium. The soils are more specifically described as loam-clay with abundant coarse material derived from both carbonate rock and basalt; they are strongly calcareous and moderately alkaline. Individual technical descriptions also identify silty-sandy textures, active limestone and volcanic bedrock.

Costeggiola occupies terraced slopes and the hill crest. Its silty-sandy soils are rich in limestone over volcanic subsoil. Ferra, within Tenda, is particularly rich in volcanic gravel and combines volcanic and limestone components.

Exposure and ventilation

The south- and southwest-facing slopes receive favorable sunlight. Ferra lies high on the hill beside and behind the Castello di Soave, with a southerly orientation, late-afternoon sun and cooling air movement associated with its position and elevation. The broader group of parcels used across the estate includes south- and west-facing vineyards in Costeggiola, Casale and Ferra.

The interaction of limestone and volcanic material is central to site selection. Chardonnay grown on suitable limestone-rich parcels is considered an important component of Costeggiola and the estate’s Soave Classico, while the most favorably exposed parcels and oldest Garganega vines are reserved for cru production.

Parcel-by-parcel management

Three separate vineyard teams work in Bardolino, Negrar and Soave. Work is adapted to each parcel, with meticulous pruning and yield control. Simple Guyot vines are generally restricted to one cane and a limited number of bunches. Soil, exposure, vine age, ripeness and the intended use of the grapes determine the timing and intensity of operations.

The chemical and physical properties of the soils are analyzed on average every four years and always before a new vineyard is planted. These results also guide base fertilization before planting.

Ground cover, soil protection and biodiversity

All vineyards retain ground cover of spontaneous vegetation, supplemented in places with sown melliferous species. Peas, vetch and clovers have also been seeded between rows; once mown in summer, they contribute natural fertility. Ground cover is intended to reduce surface erosion on slopes, improve load-bearing capacity and reduce compaction, support physical and microbiological fertility, and encourage biodiversity and pollinating insects.

Shrubs and trees selected to attract beneficial insects have been planted along vineyard margins as part of a program to reduce reliance on synthetic pest and weed-control products. Mechanical weeding is used in some vineyards. Outside the Bardolino holdings, any herbicide treatment is confined to a narrow strip of a few centimetres, with no more than two applications annually. Newer equipment is intended to remove the need for chemical weed control, while plastic vine ties are progressively being replaced with biodegradable plant-fibre or paper alternatives.

Water management

Irrigation is limited to emergency support. Available systems include overhead sprinklers with application measured by rain gauge, under-canopy micro-jets and drip lines whose output is calculated from operating pressure. Water is supplied by reclamation consortia or metered, legally authorized estate wells. The principal period of need is berry enlargement from mid-June to late July before veraison; in an otherwise normal season, two or three applications are considered sufficient. A new €4,000 irrigation installation for Soave was in progress during 2024.

Canopy work, ripeness and harvest

Each parcel is supervised separately and grape maturity is monitored to determine harvest timing. Damaged or underripe bunches are removed manually before machine harvesting, while hand-picked fruit undergoes rigorous visual selection. The oldest vines and best parcels are reserved for cru production.

The 2017 Costeggiola and Ferra parcels were partially defoliated before harvest to improve airflow, light exposure and ripening. During the wet 2018 season, vineyard work included debudding, removing surplus shoots, positioning shoots, trimming and disease protection. Timely selection was especially important that year because vine mealy bug affected Soave.

Harvest may combine hand and machine picking according to parcel and intended use. Ferra and the mature Costeggiola selections are hand harvested. Garganega destined for drying is selected manually for healthy, well-formed, relatively loose bunches, then placed in small wooden cases.

Estate cellar

The estate has its own cellar in Soave, within the rural settlement of Costeggiola. Vinification in three estate-area cellars—Soave, Bardolino and Negrar—keeps transport from vineyard to winery as short as possible. Detailed protocols are adapted to grape variety and reviewed annually. Work plans identify each processing stage, its operating method and the required records. The stated stylistic aims are finesse, elegance, balance and a clear relationship with the vineyard.

Reception and fermentation

Harvest timing is decided parcel by parcel after maturity monitoring. Underripe or damaged bunches are removed before picking, and manually harvested fruit is visually selected. White-wine production uses pressing after destemming, followed by temperature-controlled alcoholic fermentation. Both stainless steel and lined or vitrified concrete tanks are used.

For the estate’s principal dry Soave styles, fermentation is conducted reductively after pressing destemmed grapes. Concrete and steel are used for maturation on the lees. Costeggiola remains for several months on its lees in stainless steel without oak influence. Ferra ferments in lined concrete for 10–12 days at 15–16°C and matures for a total of 12–18 months, including approximately six months in 2,500-litre oak barrels.

Dried-grape production

Selected Garganega bunches from older pergola-trained parcels are harvested by hand and dried in 5 kg wooden cases in the Costeggiola drying room. Drying lasts approximately three to five months depending on the vintage. Only a selected fraction of the crop is committed to drying—normally around one third, with the share of a parcel ranging from about 7% to, rarely, 50%.

After drying, the fruit is destemmed, crushed and pressed. Fermentation takes place for about 20 days at 15–20°C in 25-hectolitre stainless-steel tanks. Maturation continues for more than 18 months in oak tonneaux, including 5-hectolitre vessels.

Bottling, sanitation and packaging

Bottling is carried out internally on scheduled production days. Potable water is used to clean and sanitize equipment under defined protocols covering frequency, detergent use and water consumption. Almost all wines use lightweight glass bottles, while glass, cork, paper, cardboard and plastic generated in daily work are separated for recycling. Estate-grown and bottled production is intended to maintain control from vineyard through finished bottle.