History
Three generations and the 1960 foundation
The Tezza family has produced wine for more than three generations, drawing on the traditions of Valpantena and Valpolicella. Azienda Agricola Tezza was established in 1960. Its original winery building also dates from the 1960s.
The 1998 renewal
In 1998, cousins Federico, Flavio and Vanio took responsibility for the agricultural estate and winery as the family’s third generation. The same year marked a comprehensive renewal: the original winery was renovated, the vineyards began to be replanted, and the estate set out on a programme of technical modernization.
The vineyard work replaced the former pergola-trained plantings with pergoletta and Guyot systems to improve grape quality. The cellar’s subsequent development followed the same direction, with continuing investment in new techniques, equipment and infrastructure.
The operating model was organized as a short, traceable production chain. Planting, vineyard care, grape production, harvest, winemaking and bottling were all brought under the estate’s direct management. The family placed quality through close control ahead of volume-oriented production.
Environmental investments, 2009–2022
In 2009, drip irrigation replaced the previous sprinkler system, supported by European Union CMO funding, to improve water-use efficiency. In 2010, a diesel forklift was replaced by an electric model to reduce fuel consumption.
A nitrogen-generating machine was acquired in 2017, reducing transport-related fuel use and emissions. In 2019, solar panels were installed at the winery to lower emissions associated with electricity generation.
From 2020, the estate maintained formal organic certification and invested in more efficient vineyard machinery, including push carts and tractors, with the aims of reducing environmental impact and fuel use while improving vineyard safety.
In 2022, Tezza committed to purchasing Amorim Cork closures carrying CO2-operation certification. It also increased the share of lightweight 400 g bottles to approximately 6%, reducing glass consumption and emissions from packaging production and transport.
Twenty years of modernization
The estate marked the twentieth anniversary of its 1998 renewal in 2018. A special label was created for the Amarone 2011 to represent the evolution achieved through new vineyards, lower production per vine, organic cultivation and two decades of research. Its design reproduced an old cadastral image from the state archive depicting Monte delle Fontane di Poiano, the hill visible from the winery.
Organic and Equalitas certification
After more than twenty years of progressively sustainable cultivation, Tezza obtained official organic certification in 2020. The certified approach extends across the production chain, from planting vines through bottling, under EU Organic and USA NOP protocols.
In 2023, the estate entered and completed the Equalitas SOPD certification process for a sustainable wine-production organization. The certification was first issued on 11 December 2023 and covers cultivation, vinification, storage, blending, processing, bottling and bottle conditioning at the two Poiano operating units on Stradella Maioli. The current certificate was issued on 23 December 2025 and expires on 10 December 2026. Its assessed environmental indicators include 2024 biodiversity and the organization’s 2025 carbon and water footprints.
Terroir
Valpantena setting
The vineyards lie in Valpantena, in the localities of Poiano, Nesente and Sezano. The valley begins at Verona and rises northward toward the Monti Lessini, forming part of the Valpolicella winegrowing area. It is described as the sister valley of Valpolicella and as the denomination’s only cru.
Valpantena occupies a geographical niche shaped by the meeting of the Alpine arc and the deep waters of Lake Garda. The long valley linking Lessinia with Verona’s pink-marble country is marked by olive trees, cypresses and rows of vines. Its climate is temperate, dry and consistently ventilated, with pronounced temperature differences between day and night.
Soils
The valley floors have very deep soils with a moderately fine texture, derived from sedimentary and calcareous rock. The vineyard soils are also characterized as calcareous and gravelly. Corvina, Rondinella and Oseleta are particularly associated with these conditions.
Historical landscape
Valpantena has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Its name is interpreted as “Valley of all the gods” and is linked by the historian Caliari to the underground Roman temple at Santa Maria in Stelle. Corvina, Rondinella and Oseleta are connected with the area’s ancient wine culture and are presented as varieties used for the Rhaetic wine cited in Roman sources.
Winemaking
Organic cultivation
The vineyards have followed a replanting programme since 1998 and have been formally certified organic since 2020. Cultivation follows Regulation (EU) 2018/848, which replaced Regulations (EC) 834/2007 and 889/2008. The wider production chain also follows EU Organic and USA NOP protocols.
Chemical fertilizers, conventional herbicides and conventional pesticides have been replaced by natural, non-invasive measures. These include integrated pest management, mating disruption as the principal pest-control technique and mechanical weed removal. Native clones are tended using traditional pruning methods.
Soil cover and biodiversity
Spontaneous multi-species grass cover is maintained throughout the vineyards. It improves soil structure, porosity and organic-matter content, helps retain water, limits erosion, supports soil biological fertility, increases the diversity of mesofauna and microfauna, and attracts beneficial insects.
Grass is cut in alternating rows so that habitat remains available for pollinators. Green-manure species are sown annually in alternate rows and are incorporated into the soil only after flowering. Pollinating insects are protected through the organic protocol applied across all vineyards.
Water and vineyard operations
Drip irrigation replaced sprinkler irrigation in 2009 to improve water efficiency. Following the unusually dry summer of 2022 and high combined winery-and-irrigation water consumption, the estate reviewed its system and planned improvements to irrigation, cleaning and general water use.
Seasonal workers are engaged through local specialist firms during labour-intensive periods, particularly pruning and harvest. Vineyard-machinery investments since 2020 have included push carts and tractors intended to improve efficiency, reduce fuel use and enhance operator safety.
Complete estate production chain
Planting, vineyard care, grape production, harvest, vinification and bottling are managed within the estate. The vineyards are only a few hundred metres from the winery. The operating principle is a short, traceable chain in which close control of every stage takes precedence over mass-production volume.
Grape drying
A modern drying hall regulates both temperature and humidity. It is used for grapes destined for Amarone and Recioto. Drying reduces water in the berries and concentrates their sugars, while environmental control allows the process variables to be managed safely.
Fermentation and extraction
Fermentation takes place in large stainless-steel tanks fitted with automatic temperature control. Délestage—draining and returning the fermenting must—is used to pump must over the cap and gently extract polyphenols from the skins.
Historic cement tanks remain in the inner part of the winery. Their insulation from external conditions maintains a stable temperature throughout the year.
Maturation and storage
Wood maturation takes place in 750 L French- and Slavonian-oak casks and 225 L French-oak barriques. The estate uses wood ageing to develop the wines and add aromatic complexity before bottling.
Beside the barrel hall is the protected historic cellar, where selected bottles from the best vintages are retained.
Controls and cellar resources
An internal food-safety control plan defines general and specific hygiene rules and the controls required for product safety and organic-wine compliance. The cellar has three water meters, with a fourth in the drying hall. Its nitrogen-generating equipment reduces reliance on transported nitrogen, and solar panels have operated at the winery since 2019.
Philosophy
Tezza’s stated philosophy rests on authenticity, transparency and traceability. The family considers control of the complete production chain essential to quality and gives careful, high-standard production priority over mass-market volume.
The estate describes itself as a custodian of Valpantena’s land and biodiversity. Organic cultivation is treated as an extension of local winegrowing tradition rather than a recent positioning choice. Respect for the land is paired with a commitment to leave improved environmental conditions for future generations.
Sustainability is defined as a continuing process encompassing environmental, economic and social responsibilities. The estate’s priorities are to enhance the territory, reduce the environmental effect of its activities and review operations annually in pursuit of continuous improvement. Its procurement policy favours sustainability-certified suppliers where possible and seeks materials with a lower environmental burden.
Ethics, professional integrity and workplace safety are presented as governing values in relationships with employees, customers, suppliers and the local community. Training, transparent management and responsible work are treated as integral to sustainable wine production.