History
Historical identity
The name Domìni Veneti recalls the territories governed by the Serenissima Republic of Venice. Valpolicella formed part of those dominions in the 16th century, a period associated with artistic splendour and cultural exchange. The brand adopted that historical reference as an expression of elegance, refinement and attachment to place.
Another historical name survives in the Pruviniano Collection. Until 1177, the territories around Marano were known as “Pruviniano”; the collection revives that name to connect its wines with the Marano valley and its viticultural history.
1989: the Quality Project and creation of Domìni Veneti
Cantina Valpolicella Negrar began an articulated Quality Project in 1989. It identified particularly suitable areas within Valpolicella Classica and worked to improve the quality of carefully selected grapes. Those selections gave rise to the new Domìni Veneti line.
The project was conceived as an expression of a geographically and historically defined territory, centred on Valpolicella Classica and its native varieties: Corvina Veronese, Corvinone, Rondinella, Molinara, Dindarella, Oseleta, Rossignola, Negrara and Forselina. From the outset, its approach combined inherited viticultural knowledge with research, production innovation and experimentation. Domìni Veneti subsequently developed beyond the DOCG and DOC wines of Valpolicella Classica to include other Veronese and Veneto denominations.
2004: Verjago and the turn towards experimental research
A new enological project began in 2004 with the development of Verjago. Its purpose was to reassert the identity of Valpolicella at a time when the category was perceived as overshadowed by Amarone and Valpolicella Ripasso. The concept was a “Super Valpolicella” based on a rigorous selection of hillside grapes, harvested into 10 kg crates and given a short, 40-day drying period extending into November. Maturation in large casks was chosen to preserve the fruit character.
The decision also marked a deeper commitment to research. Two hectares at Jago, in the heart of Valpolicella and owned by two female cooperative members, were rented and converted into an experimental vineyard.
2006: first Verjago bottling
The 2004 project reached completion two years later with the first bottling of Verjago. It became one of the emblematic wines of the Domìni Veneti selection and a concrete result of the brand’s programme of vineyard selection, controlled drying and experimentation.
Collections built around territory
The Pruviniano Collection was created to discover and enhance the wines and growing areas of the Marano valley in Valpolicella Classica. It brings together the valley’s historical identity, native grapes and traditional appassimento.
Amarone Espressioni was developed as a collection of five Amarone cru. Each represents a separate territory and is intended to distinguish the influence of soil, microclimate and local viticultural knowledge within Valpolicella Classica.
2019: thirty years of Domìni Veneti
Domìni Veneti marked the thirtieth anniversary of the 1989 Quality Project in 2019. Its retrospective presented the brand’s development as a continuing relationship between tradition and innovation: firm roots in Valpolicella, accompanied by experimentation, research and new production techniques.
2025: a lighter interpretation of Valpolicella
In 2025, the range added a Valpolicella Classico DOC 2024 conceived for immediacy, freshness and lower alcohol. The project began in the vineyard, selecting grapes from 20–25-year-old vines at 200–250 metres, trained to double pergola, grassed and drip-irrigated. Bottled at 11.5% alcohol with 3 g/L residual sugar and a screw cap, it was positioned as a lighter counterpart to the established Domìni Veneti Valpolicella Classico and as a response to changing preferences toward freshness, acidity and accessibility.
Terroir
Domìni Veneti’s historical core is the hilly landscape of Valpolicella Classica. The 1989 Quality Project divided attention among especially suitable growing areas and selected their grapes with the aim of expressing the zone’s native-variety heritage.
The Marano valley is treated as a distinct territorial identity through the Pruviniano Collection. The collection links its wines to a landscape historically called Pruviniano until 1177, combining local varieties with traditional appassimento.
The Espressioni collection further subdivides Valpolicella Classica into five Amarone cru or territories. Its premise is that differences in soil and microclimate, interpreted through local viticultural knowledge, produce distinguishable expressions within the classic zone.
Winemaking
Domìni Veneti began as a vineyard-selection project. Particularly suitable parts of Valpolicella Classica were identified in 1989, while grape quality was raised through careful selection. Its viticultural identity centres on native varieties, including Corvina Veronese, Corvinone, Rondinella, Molinara, Dindarella, Oseleta, Rossignola, Negrara and Forselina.
Research became a formal part of the programme through the two-hectare experimental vineyard at Jago. The portfolio also contains a dedicated Organic range sourced from certified-organic vineyards.
For the lighter Valpolicella project introduced in 2025, fruit was selected from 20–25-year-old vineyards between 200 and 250 metres above sea level. Those vines are trained to double pergola; the vineyard floor is grassed and water is supplied by drip irrigation.
Domìni Veneti frames production as an evolving dialogue between inherited techniques and research. The programme has included the study and renewed use of local grape varieties, traditional appassimento, investment in technological innovation and maturation in large oak casks.
The 2004 Verjago project illustrates this approach. Selected hillside grapes were placed in 10 kg crates and dried for 40 days, until November. Large casks were selected for maturation to preserve the original fruit character rather than obscure it.
Traditional appassimento remains a defining technique for the Pruviniano wines, while ageing comparisons, Ripasso and drying are also presented as central subjects in the brand’s educational programme. Across the range, individual agronomic and cellar decisions are treated as part of a continuing balance between historical practice and contemporary quality research.
Philosophy
Domìni Veneti defines itself as both a viticultural and cultural project. Its purpose is to preserve Valpolicella’s historical and agricultural inheritance while interpreting it through successive vintages, labels and collections.
The brand’s guiding principle is “tradition in evolution.” Agronomic choices, cellar techniques and the character of each vintage are approached as a dialogue between past and present. Respect for origins is paired with research, experimentation, technological development and the pursuit of authentic quality.
The Serenissima reference supplies a cultural vocabulary of elegance, refinement, art and exchange. Domìni Veneti uses wine to communicate the identity, craftsmanship and beauty of Valpolicella Classica, treating each label as a narrative of place.
Its territorial philosophy is especially explicit in Pruviniano and Espressioni. Pruviniano protects the historical identity of the Marano valley, while Espressioni isolates five cru to show how soil, microclimate and human experience shape different versions of Valpolicella Classica. The cultivation of vines is presented as part of the region’s collective identity, founded on knowledge and practices transmitted between generations.