History
Earlier ownership
The hills surrounding Soave had supported viticulture for centuries before the modern estate took shape. In the 1940s, part of the property that now forms Soave Estate was acquired by Swedish naval Commodore Olof Henning Lorenz Hammargren. The holding was already a productive, carefully maintained estate before it passed to the Rizzardi family.
The Rizzardi acquisition
In 1977, Count Antonio Rizzardi purchased Hammargren’s land. It became the estate’s holding within the Soave cru of Tenda and includes the site from which Ferra is produced. The acquisition also established the family’s presence beside the Castello di Soave. A few years later, the family added Costeggiola, now the estate’s other principal cru. The Soave expansion included the cellar in the rural settlement of Costeggiola, where the estate’s grapes continue to be vinified.
The family subsequently added vineyards, replanted extensively and introduced new training systems. These changes enlarged the property to just over 15 hectares and progressively improved its viticultural potential. Since the 1970s, the estate has cultivated Garganega, Chardonnay and a small quantity of Trebbiano di Soave, matching varieties and vineyard positions to the character of the soils.
Development of the cru approach
After Count Antonio Rizzardi’s death in 1983, Maria Cristina Loredan Rizzardi assumed responsibility for the family business. She expanded its vineyards and wines and, in 1985, formalised the use of the term cru as a quality concept tied to a precisely delimited vineyard. At Soave, the best-positioned parcels and oldest vines became the basis of the cru wines.
From the late 1990s, Giuseppe, Orsola, Olimpia and Agostino Rizzardi entered the family company. The production objective remained estate-grown and estate-bottled wine, with direct control of the chain from vineyard to bottle. Agostino and Giuseppe subsequently became the company’s leaders, representing the thirteenth generation of the Rizzardi family; Giuseppe is also responsible for production.
Ferra and continued vineyard renewal
Ferra emerged as a single-site Soave cru in 2014 after years of replanting and changes to its vine-training systems. The vineyard remains part of the Tenda cru acquired in 1977.
Following the 2020 harvest, old, declining pergola-trained vines planted at Costeggiola in the 1960s were removed. In 2022, work began to reconstruct this section: the surface soil was lifted, between 0.5 and 1 metre of underlying limestone was broken to help roots penetrate more deeply, the topsoil was returned, and two sections were combined into a more stable terrace.
Certified sustainability
The family implemented its Equalitas management system from November 2023 and obtained Equalitas certification in 2024. The certification encompasses environmental, social and economic sustainability across the organisation, including the Soave vineyards and cellar. During 2025, the three estate teams received advanced theoretical and practical pruning training, new equipment reduced reliance on chemical weed control, and plastic vine ties began to be replaced by plant-fibre or paper alternatives. The 2026 sustainability programme identified fertiliser and plant-protection planning at Soave as a specific area for continued improvement.
Terroir
Location and topography
The vineyards and cellar lie entirely within the municipality of Soave and the Classico production area. The 33 parcels occupy hillside ground on Costeggiola and beside the Castello di Soave. The estate is terraced and principally oriented south and southwest, with elevations extending from approximately 40 to 200 metres above sea level. A more technical description places the entirely hillside Soave holding between 50 and 200 metres.
Soils
Across the estate, clay, volcanic material and limestone occur together, with a marked presence of magnesium. The soils are more specifically described as loam-clay with abundant coarse material derived from both carbonate rock and basalt; they are strongly calcareous and moderately alkaline. Individual technical descriptions also identify silty-sandy textures, active limestone and volcanic bedrock.
Costeggiola occupies terraced slopes and the hill crest. Its silty-sandy soils are rich in limestone over volcanic subsoil. Ferra, within Tenda, is particularly rich in volcanic gravel and combines volcanic and limestone components.
Exposure and ventilation
The south- and southwest-facing slopes receive favorable sunlight. Ferra lies high on the hill beside and behind the Castello di Soave, with a southerly orientation, late-afternoon sun and cooling air movement associated with its position and elevation. The broader group of parcels used across the estate includes south- and west-facing vineyards in Costeggiola, Casale and Ferra.
The interaction of limestone and volcanic material is central to site selection. Chardonnay grown on suitable limestone-rich parcels is considered an important component of Costeggiola and the estate’s Soave Classico, while the most favorably exposed parcels and oldest Garganega vines are reserved for cru production.
Winemaking
Parcel-by-parcel management
Three separate vineyard teams work in Bardolino, Negrar and Soave. Work is adapted to each parcel, with meticulous pruning and yield control. Simple Guyot vines are generally restricted to one cane and a limited number of bunches. Soil, exposure, vine age, ripeness and the intended use of the grapes determine the timing and intensity of operations.
The chemical and physical properties of the soils are analyzed on average every four years and always before a new vineyard is planted. These results also guide base fertilization before planting.
Ground cover, soil protection and biodiversity
All vineyards retain ground cover of spontaneous vegetation, supplemented in places with sown melliferous species. Peas, vetch and clovers have also been seeded between rows; once mown in summer, they contribute natural fertility. Ground cover is intended to reduce surface erosion on slopes, improve load-bearing capacity and reduce compaction, support physical and microbiological fertility, and encourage biodiversity and pollinating insects.
Shrubs and trees selected to attract beneficial insects have been planted along vineyard margins as part of a program to reduce reliance on synthetic pest and weed-control products. Mechanical weeding is used in some vineyards. Outside the Bardolino holdings, any herbicide treatment is confined to a narrow strip of a few centimetres, with no more than two applications annually. Newer equipment is intended to remove the need for chemical weed control, while plastic vine ties are progressively being replaced with biodegradable plant-fibre or paper alternatives.
Water management
Irrigation is limited to emergency support. Available systems include overhead sprinklers with application measured by rain gauge, under-canopy micro-jets and drip lines whose output is calculated from operating pressure. Water is supplied by reclamation consortia or metered, legally authorized estate wells. The principal period of need is berry enlargement from mid-June to late July before veraison; in an otherwise normal season, two or three applications are considered sufficient. A new €4,000 irrigation installation for Soave was in progress during 2024.
Canopy work, ripeness and harvest
Each parcel is supervised separately and grape maturity is monitored to determine harvest timing. Damaged or underripe bunches are removed manually before machine harvesting, while hand-picked fruit undergoes rigorous visual selection. The oldest vines and best parcels are reserved for cru production.
The 2017 Costeggiola and Ferra parcels were partially defoliated before harvest to improve airflow, light exposure and ripening. During the wet 2018 season, vineyard work included debudding, removing surplus shoots, positioning shoots, trimming and disease protection. Timely selection was especially important that year because vine mealy bug affected Soave.
Harvest may combine hand and machine picking according to parcel and intended use. Ferra and the mature Costeggiola selections are hand harvested. Garganega destined for drying is selected manually for healthy, well-formed, relatively loose bunches, then placed in small wooden cases.
Estate cellar
The estate has its own cellar in Soave, within the rural settlement of Costeggiola. Vinification in three estate-area cellars—Soave, Bardolino and Negrar—keeps transport from vineyard to winery as short as possible. Detailed protocols are adapted to grape variety and reviewed annually. Work plans identify each processing stage, its operating method and the required records. The stated stylistic aims are finesse, elegance, balance and a clear relationship with the vineyard.
Reception and fermentation
Harvest timing is decided parcel by parcel after maturity monitoring. Underripe or damaged bunches are removed before picking, and manually harvested fruit is visually selected. White-wine production uses pressing after destemming, followed by temperature-controlled alcoholic fermentation. Both stainless steel and lined or vitrified concrete tanks are used.
For the estate’s principal dry Soave styles, fermentation is conducted reductively after pressing destemmed grapes. Concrete and steel are used for maturation on the lees. Costeggiola remains for several months on its lees in stainless steel without oak influence. Ferra ferments in lined concrete for 10–12 days at 15–16°C and matures for a total of 12–18 months, including approximately six months in 2,500-litre oak barrels.
Dried-grape production
Selected Garganega bunches from older pergola-trained parcels are harvested by hand and dried in 5 kg wooden cases in the Costeggiola drying room. Drying lasts approximately three to five months depending on the vintage. Only a selected fraction of the crop is committed to drying—normally around one third, with the share of a parcel ranging from about 7% to, rarely, 50%.
After drying, the fruit is destemmed, crushed and pressed. Fermentation takes place for about 20 days at 15–20°C in 25-hectolitre stainless-steel tanks. Maturation continues for more than 18 months in oak tonneaux, including 5-hectolitre vessels.
Bottling, sanitation and packaging
Bottling is carried out internally on scheduled production days. Potable water is used to clean and sanitize equipment under defined protocols covering frequency, detergent use and water consumption. Almost all wines use lightweight glass bottles, while glass, cork, paper, cardboard and plastic generated in daily work are separated for recycling. Estate-grown and bottled production is intended to maintain control from vineyard through finished bottle.
Philosophy
The estate’s approach links land, history and family continuity while retaining technology where it can improve quality and reduce environmental impact. The central objective is to produce and bottle wines from estate vineyards while keeping direct control of the entire chain.
Varieties, training systems and vineyard work are matched to the soil and individual parcel rather than determined solely by local custom or appellation rules. The strongest parcels and oldest vines are reserved for cru wines, and yield is controlled through precise pruning and tailored canopy work. In the cellar, protocols are revised for each vintage and variety with a stated stylistic goal of finesse, elegance and balance.
The cru philosophy treats a well-defined vineyard as the basis of identity and quality. Costeggiola and Ferra are therefore managed and vinified to retain their different expressions: Costeggiola emphasises mature vines, limestone-volcanic soils, lees contact and no oak, while Ferra combines volcanic gravel, cooling air and longer maturation partly in large casks.
Sustainability is framed as environmental, social and economic responsibility. Priorities include maintaining soil cover and terraces, supporting biodiversity, limiting non-renewable inputs, measuring carbon and water impacts, improving worker skills, reducing chemical weed control and continually reviewing fertilisation and crop-protection plans.