Storia
The historic villa
Villa Cipolla is a 16th-century Venetian residence in Tregnago, in the province of Verona. The property belonged to the Conti Cipolla. Count Carlo Cipolla—described as a scholar and devotee of art, history and philosophy—used it as a summer country residence. It subsequently fell out of use during the 18th century and eventually survived as a historic ruin.
2000: the Valpolicella project
In 2000, the Pieropan family acquired uncultivated land on Monte Garzon at Cellore d’Illasi, within the Valpolicella and Amarone production area. The site rises to 500 metres above sea level. The family transformed the land into a vineyard, planting the vines that now supply its Valpolicella wines.
The project originated with Leonildo Pieropan. He wanted to create the family’s own red wines while giving his sons Andrea and Dario—then completing studies in agriculture and oenology—an opportunity to enter the business through a new venture centred on experimentation and creativity.
Organic cultivation and biological control formed part of the project from its establishment. The objective was to preserve Monte Garzon’s existing ecosystem, including its plant life and microfauna.
Acquisition of Villa Cipolla and construction of the cellar
The need for a dedicated production and maturation site for Amarone led the family to acquire the former Conti Cipolla property in Tregnago. An underground ageing cellar was constructed beneath the estate’s brolo, described elsewhere as its orchard or enclosed garden, for the maturation of Amarone della Valpolicella.
The acquisition began a restoration lasting approximately 20 years. The work retained the original arrangement of the villa’s interiors while combining references to historic Venetian residences with restrained modern design. Family-owned objects and rétro decorative elements were incorporated into the rooms.
Development of the red-wine range
The Monte Garzon vineyard was first harvested in 2003. Ruberpan, a Valpolicella Superiore DOC, originated with that first crop. The vineyard also became the source of Amarone Vigna Garzon and the Corvina-based sparkling rosé Ghes. The latter was conceived by Dario Pieropan and his collaborator and friend Cesare.
Production follows separate paths for the three expressions: direct vinification and oak maturation for Valpolicella Superiore; natural grape drying, extended fermentation and long maturation for Amarone; and cold maceration, low-temperature fermentation and tank secondary fermentation for the sparkling rosé.
Fourth-generation continuity
Leonildo Pieropan died in 2018. His sons Andrea and Dario, both graduates in agriculture and oenology, continued the family business as its fourth generation. Their involvement in the Valpolicella project had been one of Leonildo’s original reasons for creating it.
2023: opening of the Wine Relais
Villa Cipolla Pieropan opened as a Wine Relais in September 2023, following the approximately two-decade restoration. The restored residence contains six individually furnished bedrooms, leisure areas and a private wellness area and spa. The historic complex continues to function as both a hospitality property and the cellar dedicated to Amarone.
2025 Best of Wine Tourism recognition
The Wine Relais received the Hospitality award in the Best of Wine Tourism 2025 competition. Eight winners were chosen from 107 entrants in the eighth edition organized by the Verona Chamber of Commerce. The recognition highlighted the transformation of the historic Venetian villa into a setting combining architecture, design and wine.
Terroir
Location and relief
The principal vineyard is Monte Garzon at Cellore d’Illasi, in the Val d’Illasi and within the Valpolicella production area. It occupies a south-facing hillside between approximately 300 and 500 metres above sea level; the original estate account describes the acquired land as reaching 500 metres.
The elevation and position create cooler conditions than those of lower-lying vineyards. Strong day-to-night temperature variation is especially pronounced in Valpolicella’s high hills and cooler soils. These conditions support gradual ripening and the development of fresh aromas. During the drought-affected 2022 season, the position and altitude allowed the grapes to reach optimal ripening parameters and retain excellent phytosanitary condition despite low yields.
Soils
Monte Garzon has soils rich in pink limestone, with clay and chalk or gypsum components. Current descriptions consistently associate the vineyard with this calcareous-clay profile.
Exposure and mesoclimate
The vineyard faces south. Spring warmth can bring relatively early budbreak: in 2008, Monte Garzon’s red varieties began growing in early April. The hillside’s cooler mornings and pronounced temperature range help preserve freshness, while its altitude and drainage can moderate difficult growing seasons. The site can nevertheless experience drought, hail and periods requiring emergency irrigation.
Vintage variability
The site’s performance is closely tied to seasonal weather. Hail reduced the Valpolicella crop by 80% in 2015, although the event occurred during flowering and therefore reduced quantity rather than damaging the quality of the surviving fruit. High-elevation vineyards required irrigation during the delayed 2016 season. In 2020, heat and humidity delayed Valpolicella ripening, while in 2022 the elevated site performed more favourably than the family’s drought-affected vineyards elsewhere. Amarone production is reduced or omitted when conditions do not permit suitable fruit and sound skins for drying.
Vinificazione
Monte Garzon has been managed with protection of its original ecosystem as a founding principle. Organic farming and biological control were adopted to respect the site’s plant life and microfauna, and current production is certified organic.
The vines are Guyot-trained at 5,800 plants per hectare and generally pruned to 6–8 buds per vine. Yield targets vary by intended use: 40–50 hl/ha, or 1–1.5 kg per vine, for Ruberpan and Ghes; and approximately 20 hl/ha after drying, or 0.5 kg per vine, for Amarone.
Disease management is preventive and follows organic protocols. In the wet early summer of 2023, this approach, followed by the removal of bunches partly affected by downy and powdery mildew, limited losses to approximately 5%. The thinning simultaneously removed unhealthy fruit and reduced the load on vines in an abundant season. Leaf thinning is used in wet years to improve ventilation around the bunches.
Seasonal canopy work has included removing suckers and double shoots. Green thinning is used to control excessive production, while topping and defoliation respond to excess vegetative growth or humidity. Irrigation is applied when drought and water stress threaten the completion of ripening, including emergency interventions in high-altitude vineyards during exceptionally dry seasons.
Harvesting is manual. Amarone fruit is selected into small boxes in the final week of September, and the wine is not produced when weather conditions are unsuitable. Ruberpan fruit is normally gathered from 1 to 20 October. Ghes uses carefully selected Corvina, including a variable share of second-flowering bunches chosen for fragrance and freshness.
Cellar
Villa Cipolla serves as the production and maturation home of the Valpolicella project. Its Amarone cellar is underground, beneath the brolo or orchard of the historic property. The cellar was built specifically for the maturation of Amarone.
Valpolicella Superiore path
The red grapes are destemmed and crushed. Fermentation proceeds at 23–24°C with approximately 12 days of maceration and regular punching down, intended to extract colour and tannin gently. Maturation takes place for 18–24 months in French-oak tonneaux, with 40–50% first-use wood, followed by bottle ageing before release. In the unusually acidic 2014 vintage, malolactic fermentation was used to reduce malic acidity.
Amarone path
Selected bunches are harvested manually into small boxes. The fruit dries naturally for approximately two to three months; fans may be used when necessary. The process reduces the must yield to roughly one-third of the grapes’ original weight. The dried fruit is manually selected, destemmed and softly crushed. Fermentation takes place at 23–24°C for approximately 30 days, with daily pumping over and punching down.
The current Amarone protocol matures the wine in 500-litre French-oak vessels for at least 36 months, followed by 12 months in glass-lined concrete tanks and at least one year in bottle. Production is withheld in climatically unsuitable years, and volumes are reduced when the vintage provides insufficient fruit of the required condition.
Sparkling-rosé path
Selected Corvina is destemmed and softly pressed, followed by cold skin maceration. Fermentation takes place at low temperature, and the base wine matures in stainless-steel tanks. The secondary fermentation is conducted in a pressurized tank or autoclave.
Filosofia
The Valpolicella project combines family continuity with a deliberate space for experimentation. Leonildo Pieropan conceived it as an opportunity for Andrea and Dario to apply their agricultural and oenological training and develop red wines with their own creative identity.
The vineyard was established with respect for the pre-existing ecosystem. Organic cultivation, biological control and preventive disease management are intended to preserve the relationship between the vines, surrounding flora and local microfauna.
The broader family principle is to give individual vineyards an identity founded on the interaction of variety, soil, climate and human work. At Monte Garzon, this is expressed through estate-grown fruit, manual selection, vintage-dependent decisions and the refusal to produce Amarone when conditions are unsuitable.
Hospitality follows a related idea of slow living: the restored villa combines wine, historic architecture, family objects, gardens, books and spaces for rest. The restoration retained the historic arrangement and character of the building while accommodating contemporary use.