About this wine
Vinification
The grapes are harvested from late September to early October and dried on bamboo racks until January, losing 35% of their weight and concentrating their sugars. Corvina alone is then affected by noble rot caused by Botrytis. This drying method has been known since Roman times.
After gentle pressing, fermentation lasts 1.5 months at low temperature in stainless-steel vats or large Slavonian oak barrels. The wine is subsequently transferred to smaller barrels for a further 35 days of alcoholic fermentation, followed by malolactic fermentation.
Ageing
The wine matures for 24 months, with 80% aged in Allier oak barrels and 20% in Slavonian oak. Of the barrels used, 40% are new, 30% have held wine once, and 30% have held wine twice. After bottling, it rests for at least another four months in the winery’s cellars.
Vintage notes
The 1999 vintage was recommended for drinking from 2015 to 2024.
Label / history
The limited-edition collection combines original bottle design with support for a charitable cause. Every two years, Masi commissions an artist born in a country connected with the winery to design a label for Costasera. Swiss artist Maya von Moos created the label for the 1999 vintage, drawing inspiration from the fertile lands of Venice and Valpolicella and from the region’s artists Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Paolo Veronese and Titian (Tiziano Vecellio).
The label represents the vine’s annual cycle of growth and ripening. Its concept also links cultivation, culture and art, reflecting Raffaele Boscaini’s explanation that “culture” derives from a Latin verb meaning “to cultivate” and originally referred to working the land.
Proceeds from the collection are donated to the Masi charitable foundation to support the education of young artists at an arts centre in Italy. For this edition, Maya von Moos was to select a scholarship recipient from among young Swiss painters.
