History
Nineteenth-century estate origins
During the nineteenth century, the Conte Nuvoloni family built a house on its estate in the settlement now known as Valgatara. Vineyards and a cellar were already part of the property, establishing the physical foundations of the later winery.
The Boscaini family and the early twentieth century
The Boscaini family acquired the entire estate at the beginning of the twentieth century and began its history there as wine producers. Luigi, himself born into a winemaking family, made several wines, including Recioto, then regarded as the estate’s most prestigious style. He sold the wine door to door from a horse-drawn cart.
The commercial success of Luigi’s wines enabled new investment during the early 1920s. He enlarged the cellar, acquired equipment and added land to the business.
Danilo’s expansion in the 1970s
Luigi’s son Danilo entered the business during the 1970s. Under his direction, the enterprise became larger and more formally structured. He purchased a lorry and a bottling line and expanded the production premises.
The business retained a strongly personal relationship with its customers. Harvest became a shared social occasion in which customers participated, helping to sustain loyalty across successive generations.
Enzo Franco Boscaini and the rise of Amarone
During the 1980s, as Valpolicella and Amarone gained wider recognition, Danilo transferred control to his son Enzo Franco Boscaini. The business continued to grow, while Enzo Franco encouraged the developing interest in wine shown by his son Leonardo.
Acquisition by Bottega in 2005
Health problems forced Enzo Franco to relinquish control in 2005. Leonardo was still too young to succeed him, and Bottega acquired the company. The acquisition preserved the estate’s inherited identity and family connection, while initiating a comprehensive renovation of the cellar.
Renovation and reopening in 2018
Bottega inaugurated the renovated Valgatara cellar in 2018, in the heart of the Valpolicella Classica area. By 5 November, the winery was operational: tanks and barrels had been installed and filled, and the fruttaio had been equipped with traditional wooden arele for drying grapes. By the end of the year, the entire facility was fully operational.
The renovation retained the character of the historic exposed-stone building. Traditional warm, blond Lessinia stone slabs, valued for their insulating properties, were used throughout, while the barrel and barrique rooms preserved their cross-vaulted architecture. The result joined a modern working cellar to a structure with approximately a century of winemaking history.
Vineyard expansion in 2021
In January 2021, the operation strengthened its presence in Valpolicella Classica by taking five additional vineyards on long-term leases. Together they covered 3.41 ha. All five were already productive and trained to pergola; one 0.87-ha vineyard was selected for replanting to renew future production.
The Valgatara production site also obtained Equalitas certification in 2021 under the Sustainable Organisation standard, covering environmental, social and economic sustainability.
Recent production development
Wine handled at Marano di Valpolicella increased from 1,277 hL in 2022 to 1,723 hL in 2023 and 2,167 hL in 2024. The site used 190,501 glass bottles in 2022, 198,242 in 2023 and 179,515 in 2024.
Leonardo now manages the Valgatara cellar, maintaining the Boscaini family’s operational link with the property under Bottega ownership.
Terroir
Bottega Valpolicella lies in Valgatara, within the commune of Marano di Valpolicella and the historic Valpolicella Classica zone of Veneto. The wider production area is a hilly landscape a few kilometres north of Verona, between Valdadige, Lessinia and the Veronese plain, and a short distance from Lake Garda.
Longitudinal valleys distinguish the area’s morphology and provide corridors for strong southerly winds. The Lessinia Pre-Alps shelter the zone, contributing to a climate described as Mediterranean-like; olive and cypress trees are visible expressions of these conditions.
The geological matrix varies across the production area. It includes limestone-dolomitic formations, basalt, moraine deposits and fluvial deposits of volcanic origin. In parts of the Classico area, the limestone-dolomitic soils have a substantial stony component. The combination of geological materials affects the availability of water and nutrients during ripening.
The Valpolicella name is linked to the expression vallis polis cellae, interpreted as “the valley of many cellars.” The Classico designation identifies the original historic production area encompassing Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella, Fumane, San Pietro in Cariano, Marano and Negrar.
Winemaking
The five vineyards added in 2021 were productive, pergola-trained sites within Valpolicella Classica. One 0.87-ha parcel, representing part of the combined 3.41 ha, was selected for replanting to strengthen future production.
Corvina Veronese, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara are the local varieties associated with the winery’s Valpolicella production. Vineyard-level organic, biodynamic or SQNPI certification is not attached specifically to the Valpolicella parcels. Equalitas certification applies to the Valgatara production organisation and should not be interpreted as an organic-farming certificate.
The renovated cellar
The Valgatara facility is dedicated to the vinification and maturation of the area’s red wines. Tanks and barrels were installed and filled when the renovated winery became operational in November 2018. The historic exposed-stone structure was modernised without removing its older architectural identity.
The barrel and barrique areas retain cross-vaulted rooms. The cellar uses French, Slavonian and American oak barrels and barriques; this range of oak origins is intended to provide a broader set of aromatic contributions during maturation.
The fruttaio
A dedicated fruttaio accommodates grapes intended for appassimento. It retains traditional wooden arele, on which bunches are laid for drying. This traditional equipment was reinstated as part of the 2018 opening and is central to the cellar’s Amarone production.
Quality and operational controls
Production is organised under a quality and food-safety management system. Raw materials, intermediate products and finished wines undergo daily controls, performed internally or through accredited external laboratories. A multi-year analytical database informs purchasing and processing decisions.
Storage follows defined procedures intended to conserve energy. Cleaning and sanitation are governed by operating procedures reviewed annually through management review, internal audits and third-party audits. Suppliers of oenological materials, detergents and packaging are selected with environmental and sustainability credentials considered alongside quality and service.
The cellar processed 1,277 hL of wine in 2022, 1,723 hL in 2023 and 2,167 hL in 2024.
Philosophy
The identity of Bottega Valpolicella rests on continuity between the Boscaini family’s history and Bottega’s investment in the property. Modernisation was pursued through new equipment and a complete cellar renovation, while the historic building, traditional arele, inherited family involvement and older architectural forms were retained.
The estate’s historical culture treated customers as friends and made harvest a participatory social event. This approach fostered loyalty across generations and remains an important element of the winery’s account of its identity.
Its production policy links product quality and food safety to systematic controls, resource efficiency and supplier assessment. Equalitas certification formalises environmental, social and economic sustainability at the Valgatara production site. Leonardo’s management provides a continuing connection between present operations and the family that established the winery at the beginning of the twentieth century.