Val d'Illasi with its gentle slopes is a rich and generous land. Giancarlo Ruff who loves country life has been attracted to this land and in the beginning of his wine career chose it as a place to go with his family outside of the hustle and bustle of the city. Very soon after, he decided to plant his first vines. Passion for nature and its products, his taste for the good wine produced in his region and his interest for new challenges, little by little led him to set up his estate in Tregnago. A few years later, wines from Tenuta Chiccheri have made their name known and can be found in many restaurants in Italy and in other countries in Europe. And for the first time he can say his wines have reached the shores of the United States of America.

David Vincent Selection is proud to have discovered the wines from Tenuta Chiccheri.

Passion and quality are a mark of Giancarlo's vineyard and his wines. Passion is the main ingredient to make every single product something special. A feeling of love, time and care is inside every bottle of Tenuta Chiccheri. Every phase of the wine production from vine grafting to grape harvest, from pressing to bottling is made very carefully which is typical of people who love what they do. Giancarlo Ruffo and his son Gianpoalo with their contagious passion for quality have been able to transfer their passion to their staff so that every single bottle delivered to the customer is a bottle of top quality Valpolicella, Valpolicella Superiore or Amarone. Even his Chardonnay, his Sparkling and the Passito made from Chardonnay are true representations of top quality wines from the Valpolicella DOC.

Giancarlo is adamant that the vines must be good quality. Wine-making must be of high standard and quality must be everywhere from the equipment to all the production processes all the way up to delivery to the customer.

It should be known the difference between Valpolicella and the Valpolicella Superiore is that Valpolicella carrying the "Superiore" distinction; the wine must have a higher alcohol content, receive longer aging, and display more body and structure than the base Valpolicella. Tenuta Chiccheri Valpolicella Superiore certainly achieves the accolades of a Superiore. A massive Valpolicella Superiore!

As for the Amarone ... well ... we'll let you tell us what you think.

Daniele Zamuner has come into the world of wine, and to that of classic sparkling wine in particular, with one incredibly authentic passion. The estate is comprised of 5 hectares and can be found halfway between the ancient city of Verona and Lake Garda in the Veneto region of Italy. The vines are of the classic sparkling wine varietals; Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. The wines are crafted with complete respect to traditional Methode Champenoise found in the region of Champagne, France.

Daniele Zamuner believes so firmly in the dowries of Pinot Noir, that his wines consist of 60-80% Pinot Noir, which is blended in a cuvee of, 10% Pinot Meunier or Chardonnay (or both). His objective is to obtain a sparkling wine with greater freshness and complexity. While many Italian producers use the "metodo classico" to produce sparkling wines, almost all of them are using 80% to 100% Chardonnay grapes to produce a flowery, fruity, aperitif. Almost alone among Italian producers, Daniele Zamuner uses a majority of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier to produce extremely high quality sparkling wines with a complexity and finish which would normally be expected only in sparkling wines from France. All of Daniele Zamuner's sparkling wines are vintaged (millesime) sparkling wines. They rest at least 6 years sur-lie before being released into the market. And all of the grapes used come from his estate located in Sona.

Combining this care of grape selection with painstaking devotion to all details of the "metodo classico", quite simply, Zamuner produces a sparkling wine comparable to many of the world's fine sparkling wine. We discovered this wine several years ago and have enjoyed from the beginning to the end of countless meals because it has the complexity and finish that can hold-up through many types of meals. It is utterly refreshing and superb.

Zamuner produces 40 thousand bottles per year total, of which 15 thousand are designated to an excellent Extra Brut and approximately 2 thousand bottles to an elegant Rosé Brut called Villa Mattarana Riserva.

Marco Sambin is a professor of psychopathology at the University of Padova, Italy. Marco restored a small casale in Valnogaredo in the famed Colli Euganei where he lives with the intent to produce fine wines. The vineyards are planted on very steep terraces in the Valnogaredo valley, facing south and consist of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. This is a very peculiar terroir inside the Colli Euganei appellation with very rocky soils rich in calcaire. Plant density is very close because of the thick rock calcaire soil making the vines difficult to penetrate.

Marco believes each microclimate has its own unique characteristics. A good wine must reflect the interaction between the grape variety and the place it is grown. Marco also believes every single decision in the vineyard has to be driven by this rationale or a mediocre wine will be made at best not a premium wine like Sambin's Marcus Rosso dei Euganei.

The Grapes are hand picked and selected. They are soon after sent to ferment in stainless steel tanks for about 12 days then aged in barrels for 12 months. They spend one year in barrels and an additional year in the bottle before being released into the market.

This is a deep rich wine. The yields are as low as 20 hectare liters per hectare. The total production of Marcus is a mere 400 cases. I have said it many times before that this is what David Vincent Selection vows to discover for our customers.