Ca’ Lustra: a winemaking story of entrepreneurship, courage and territory

The feature traces Ca’ Lustra from Franco Zanovello’s decision to found the winery in 1977 to its management by his children Marco and Linda. The family’s growth is presented as the result of experimentation, close territorial knowledge and the work of a committed team. The estate now combines 25 hectares of vineyards with olive groves, woodland and pasture.

Marco and Linda describe their professional path as an emotional transition rooted in childhood among the vineyards. Their regenerative approach relies on meticulous, often manual cultivation and has largely eliminated irrigation and soil fertilisation. Climate change is addressed through better-adapted varieties, cooler vineyard exposures and experiments in both viticulture and vinification.

In the cellar, each vineyard is processed separately. Indigenous-yeast fermentation, no clarification, minimal sulphites and patient maturation in oak, concrete or steel are used to retain vintage and cru distinctions. The estate’s historic Ca’ Lustra and Zanovello Selections ranges have been joined by Author’s Proofs, a series of 100–1,000-bottle experiments devoted to old varieties, microvinification and lower-impact methods.