History
Background: 1772–2021
Monteleone21 was conceived against the background of Masi and the Boscaini family's long association with Valpolicella Classica. The family's first harvest took place in 1772 in Vaio dei Masi. The new complex was planned 250 years later as an extension of Masi's historic facilities at Gargagnago and as a bridge between this inherited wine culture and a contemporary production, management and hospitality centre.
Presentation of the project: 2022
Monteleone21 was presented on 17 October 2022 during celebrations marking Masi's 250th harvest. Although construction was still under way, the premises received international guests and representatives of public institutions for a preview. The plans called for new production, management and wine-tourism spaces linked to the historic Gargagnago headquarters and cellars by a long underground passage.
The complex was designed as an open winery and an entry point to the lands of Amarone. Its production focus was represented by a monumental, 12-metre-high grape-drying hall intended for grapes undergoing Appassimento for Amarone. The architectural scheme placed two-thirds of the building underground, gave its visible form the profile of a planted hill and specified local-stone cladding recalling the dry-stone vineyard walls known as marogne.
The initial design was developed by Studio Cecchini—Libero and Vittorio Cecchini—with Alessandro Beghini, while Giovanna Mar and her Venice-based studio subsequently reinterpreted and completed the project. Sustainability measures incorporated into the plans included photovoltaic and geothermal energy, lower energy consumption, cross-ventilation and close integration with the landscape.
First cultural use and recognition: 2024
Monteleone21 remained under development in 2024 but was already being used as a cultural and hospitality venue. On 25 October it hosted the 43rd Masi Prize ceremony after the traditional barrel signing in the historic Masi cellars. Sandro Boscaini presented the complex as an expression of Masi's connection with its territory and as a future centre for wine tourism and wine culture. Raffaele Boscaini and Federico Girotto explained its strategic role as an entry point to the land of Amarone.
On 22 October 2024, the project received the Best of Wine Tourism award in the Sustainable Wine Tourism Practices category. The recognition covered the complex's low visual impact, its largely underground construction, renewable-energy systems, rainwater recovery for irrigating planted areas and vines, and its combination of contemporary architecture with the Valpolicella landscape.
Public opening: May 2025
Monteleone21 opened to visitors on Friday, 30 May 2025. It was introduced as Masi Agricola's new production, wine-tourism and experiential hub, with Amarone at the centre of its cultural program. The visitor route was designed to connect Monteleone21's contemporary spaces with the historic Masi cellars and Possessioni Serego Alighieri, creating a journey between modern architecture, hillside vineyards, grape-drying spaces and traditional maturation cellars.
The completed complex included the circular Agorà of more than 1,000 m², a monumental Appassimento hall, a multimedia auditorium, indoor and outdoor event areas, Enoteca Masi, the Wine Bar–Bistrot and Ristorante Locanda Costasera. Historic marble reliefs depicting the winged lion of St Mark were installed as an introduction to the Agorà and its representation of the identity of Le Venezie.
Inauguration and artistic program: September 2025
The formal inauguration took place on 20 September 2025. Sandro Boscaini and Masi CEO Federico Girotto participated in the ribbon cutting with representatives of the Veneto Region and the municipalities of Verona and Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella. A commemorative plaque marked the location where the first stone had been laid.
Architect Giovanna Mar presented the design principles of the building, while Fabrizio Plessi unveiled the site-specific installation L’Anima dell’Amarone in the monumental drying hall. A round table entitled Vino al centro examined wine markets, consumption, international trade, wine tourism, the 2026 Winter Olympics and the economic and cultural role of Veneto's businesses.
The installation transformed the drying hall into La Cattedrale dell’Amarone. Four large boats carried screens showing AI-created cascades of wine, accompanied by sound composed by Michael Nyman. Four bamboo drying racks bearing grapes linked the digital work to Appassimento and the physical production function of the hall. Rocco Plessi and Plessi Digital produced the videos. The work was scheduled to remain open to visitors for one year.
A subsequent opening party used the Agorà, the newly opened roof garden and the drying hall as settings for food, music, performance and art. Members of the sixth, seventh and eighth Boscaini generations gathered for a joint toast, expressing the project's intended continuity between family history and its future.
Monteleone21 in operation: 2026
On 13 April 2026, during the 58th Vinitaly, Monteleone21 hosted an event combining architecture, lighting, music, visual art and food and wine. Andrea Casta devised a site-specific musical and lighting program culminating in Within the Oculus, which sent light and sound vertically from the centre of the Agorà and turned the complex into a landmark visible at night. Fabrizio Plessi's installation remained in the drying hall, while the event also brought together three Boscaini generations around a large-format bottle from the 2012 vintage.
Monteleone21 now functions simultaneously as a production facility, Masi headquarters, visitor centre, cultural venue, wine shop, wine bar and restaurant. Its program connects wine with the landscape, regional history, gastronomy, architecture, contemporary art and live performance.
Terroir
Monteleone21 stands on the hill from which it takes its name, in Gargagnago within Sant’Ambrogio di Valpolicella, at the heart of Valpolicella Classica and a short distance from Verona and Lake Garda.
Its relationship with the landscape is expressed principally through architecture. Approximately two-thirds of the complex lies below ground, reducing its visible mass. The exterior reads as a low, grassed hill planted with vines and other vegetation, while the sinuous form echoes the small hills of Valpolicella. Local-stone cladding recalls the area's traditional dry-stone vineyard walls, known as marogne. The roof garden and planted upper surfaces provide views across the Valpolicella hills and extend the surrounding vegetation over the built structure.
Winemaking
The vines form part of Monteleone21's landscape-integration strategy: planted rows cover sections of the underground building and recovered rainwater irrigates both the vineyard and other green areas. The complex also incorporates measures intended to support biodiversity and recover resources.
No specific vineyard-management regime, organic or biodynamic status, certification, soil cultivation, pruning program, disease-control strategy, harvest method or sorting practice is identified for these vines.
Monteleone21 is a production as well as management and visitor complex, but the production activity described in detail is grape drying for Amarone.
Its monumental Fruttaio di Appassimento stands at the entrance. The hall is 12 m high, 30 m deep and covers 300 m². It is designed to hold columns of bamboo racks laden with grapes undergoing Appassimento. The structure gives a practical production stage an architectural and interpretive role, presenting grape drying as the technique at the centre of Amarone production.
The drying hall is also a cultural space. Its scale and production function led to its conception as a place where contemporary artists could work in dialogue with Appassimento. Fabrizio Plessi's installation retained four working references to the process—bamboo racks bearing drying grapes—alongside its digital elements.
No cellar-wide account of crushing, pressing, fermentation, maceration, malolactic conversion, maturation, blending, stabilization, filtration, sulphur use or bottling is assigned specifically to Monteleone21.
Philosophy
Monteleone21 is intended to connect deep local roots with a contemporary and internationally oriented form of wine hospitality. Wine culture is treated as a starting point for discovering the history, landscape, food, art and other forms of expression associated with the region.
The open-winery model seeks direct contact between visitors, the brand, the Boscaini family and Valpolicella. Its visitor journey deliberately links contemporary Monteleone21 with historic cellars, vineyards and older production spaces, presenting tradition and innovation as consecutive parts of the same experience.
Environmental, economic and social sustainability are presented as interdependent principles. In architectural terms, this means limiting visual impact, embedding most of the complex below ground, using local materials, reducing energy consumption, drawing on renewable energy and recovering rainwater and other resources. In cultural terms, the objective is to support the region by making wine tourism a vehicle for knowledge, economic activity and engagement with local identity.
The hospitality concept follows a “Wine First” principle: dishes and service are organized around the wines rather than treating wine as a secondary accompaniment. The broader program similarly places wine at the centre while opening dialogue with architecture, visual art, music and technology.