About this wine
Vineyard and terroir
The Negroamaro and Merlot are organically grown, in Puglia and Veneto respectively. Most of the company's wines are produced within the Gruppo Cantine Colli Berici. The Colli Berici are a series of ancient volcanic formations between Verona and Padua, with a very mild, sunny climate similar to the Mediterranean. Grapes have been grown there for thousands of years.
Vinification
After harvest the grapes are pressed and fermented in stainless-steel tanks at a controlled temperature.
Ageing
The wine ages for 12 months in small French oak barrels, some of them new.
Label / history
Nero di Gio was created in honour of the founder of Cielo e Terra, Giovanni Cielo. He bought a small estate directly opposite the Castle of Romeo and Juliet in Verona and founded the company. The family called the wine "Nero", meaning "black", because Giovanni preferred rich red wines.
Cielo e Terra was founded in 1908. Its name combines terra, Italian for earth, with the surname of its founders, the Cielo family. Under Pietro Cielo the company began expanding and improving production in 1930, and new vineyards were established and output increased in 1962. The winery is now run by the fourth-generation brothers Luca and Pierpaolo Cielo. It owns around 300 ha and is one of the largest producers in Veneto.
The company belongs to Gruppo Cantine Colli Berici, which has around 4,000 ha of vineyards. With the group's winemakers, Cielo e Terra takes part in a project to improve winegrowing and production in the Berici Hills, from vineyard to bottle.
