History
Carlo Boscaini and the purchase of the estate
Carlo Boscaini began by producing wine from rented land. He later acquired the estate in 1948, establishing the family property that still bears his name. Carlo worked in both the vineyards and cellar with the support of his son, Arturo Ernesto Boscaini, devoting the estate to growing grapes and transforming them into wine.
Carlo lived to the age of 102. The family associates his longevity with moderation, good wine, and a life of sustained work in the vineyards and cellar. His name was retained for the business as an expression of gratitude and remembrance.
Arturo Ernesto and the next generation
Arturo Ernesto continued the work alongside his father. The estate’s Riserva project explicitly commemorates the teachings passed down by grandfather Carlo and by Ernesto, linking its traditional style and reliance on older estate vineyards to their example.
Carlo’s grandsons, Carlo and Mario Boscaini, subsequently took responsibility for the family activity. They combined its inherited practices with newer technology and more advanced vineyard and cellar equipment.
1990–1996: vineyard modernization
Between 1990 and 1996, the family made substantial investments in the estate’s vineyards. The work updated cultivation systems, grape varieties and planting layouts and introduced drip irrigation. Integrated vineyard management was adopted to limit chemical inputs, while pruning and harvesting remained manual.
From 1996: cellar renewal
From 1996 onward, the family progressively upgraded the cellar’s structure and equipment. Production continued to rely entirely on grapes grown by the estate, combining traditional processes with modern equipment and restrained use of chemical additives.
The family today
Carlo and Mario continue to manage the family activity and control the complete production chain: vineyard cultivation, vinification, bottling and direct commercialization. This estate-managed chain is represented by the FIVI mark carried on the bottles.
A further generational step was recorded when Matteo, Mario’s son, graduated in oenology.
Terroir
The 14-hectare estate lies in a small valley within the historic Valpolicella Classica area, on the hills around S. Ambrogio di Valpolicella. It overlooks S. Giorgio Ingannapoltron, a village distinguished by its ancient church, cloister and archaeological excavations.
The vineyards used for the principal red wines occupy hillside sites. The La Preosa sector is the upper part of the estate, while the Zane vineyards lie on the slopes surrounding S. Ambrogio di Valpolicella. The best hillside vineyards provide selected fruit for Amarone, and the oldest estate vineyards supply fruit for the Riserva in suitable years.
A southeast-facing parcel planted principally to Garganega has clay soil with a significant stony component. The estate’s proximity to Lake Garda creates a microclimate sufficiently mild for olive cultivation as well as vines.
Winemaking
Viticulture follows an integrated system intended to minimize the use of chemical products. Wine is produced entirely from estate-grown grapes, and chemical additives are kept to a minimum during production.
The large vineyard investment program undertaken from 1990 through 1996 updated cultivation systems, varieties and planting layouts and equipped the vineyards with drip irrigation. Both pruning and harvest are performed by hand.
Harvest practices vary according to the intended wine. Grapes for Amarone and Recioto undergo selection before drying. Garganega is picked late, toward the end of October, when overripe, and carried to the cellar in 15 kg boxes. Olive trees are also managed with minimal treatments or spraying, and their fruit is harvested manually.
All wine is made from grapes cultivated by the estate. The family controls the complete chain from vineyard work and vinification through bottling and direct sale. Traditional processes are combined with modern cellar equipment, and approximately 60,000 bottles are produced annually.
Fermentation and extraction
Red-wine fermentations documented across the range last from 10 to 40 days. Depending on the selection, they take place in stainless-steel tanks or at low temperature. Cap management may involve three pump-overs per day, two délestages and a cascade system designed to break the pomace cap without conventional mechanical rotation.
The basic Valpolicella undergoes a 10-day fermentation and maceration in stainless steel, with three daily pump-overs, followed by light maturation in cement. La Preosa ferments for 20 days with three daily pump-overs and two applications of délestage.
The rosato is fermented with indigenous yeasts over two days. Late-harvest Garganega is vinified on its skins at natural temperature before fermentation is completed with the free-run must; the current process retains it in steel or cement for six months before bottling the following spring.
Appassimento and dried-grape wines
Selected Amarone grapes are placed in small boxes and dried in a fruttaio for 90–120 days. Fermentation then proceeds slowly at low temperature for 20–40 days, with three pump-overs per day, two délestages and the cascade cap-breaking system. The principal Amarone matures for 36 months in 1,300–5,000 L oak vessels and receives six months in bottle.
The Riserva is produced in suitable vintages from selected grapes associated with the oldest estate vineyards. Following 90–120 days of drying, it ferments for 20–40 days with the same pump-over, délestage and cascade regimen, then matures for 60 months in 2,000–5,000 L oak vessels and for at least six months in bottle.
Recioto grapes remain in the drying room until February or March, longer than the Amarone fruit. The concentrated must ferments at low temperature for 10 days with three daily pump-overs. Fermentation is stopped through rapid separation from the skins so that sweetness remains, followed by six months of bottle maturation.
Ripasso
For Ripasso, Valpolicella first ferments for 20 days with three daily pump-overs and two délestages. In February or March it completes a second fermentation on the pomace of Amarone and/or Recioto. Maturation takes place for up to 24 months in 1,500, 3,000 and 5,000 L oak vessels, followed by six months in bottle.
Maturation vessels
The cellar uses stainless steel and cement for fresher wines and large oak vessels for the more structured selections. Documented oak capacities range from 1,300 to 5,000 L. Bottle maturation ranges from two or three months for younger wines to at least six months for dried-grape and Ripasso styles.
Philosophy
The family’s approach combines inherited Valpolicella methods with contemporary vineyard and cellar equipment. Traditional practices—including appassimento, Ripasso, large-oak maturation and manual vineyard work—remain central, while technological improvements are used to modernize cultivation and processing.
The family presents quality as control of the entire production chain: it grows its own grapes, vinifies them, bottles the wines and handles their direct commercialization. The FIVI mark represents this independent-winegrower model.
Intervention in the vineyards is framed through integrated cultivation and minimal chemical use. In the cellar, the aim is likewise to work traditionally with modern equipment while limiting chemical additives.
Family memory is an explicit part of the estate’s identity. The business retains grandfather Carlo’s name, and the Riserva recalls the teachings of Carlo and Ernesto through grapes from older vineyards, long maturation in large oak vessels and a stylistic return to earlier interpretations of Amarone. The brothers’ work with old Molinara vines similarly seeks to preserve and enhance the value of a traditional variety through rosato production.