Azienda Agricola Corteforte

About Winery and Wines

Corteforte was built at the beginning of the 15th century, in a strategic point of the valley of Fumane, in a district of the town denominated Osan. Originally the fortification was made of four lateral towers, connected by high stone walls and proved to be an important defense against North Barbarian invasions. As the sights and sounds of battle long faded into history, time and extensive reconstruction have softened the features of Corteforte and in the 17th century it was transformed into a noble house with a bucolic courtyard, when it was bought by a noble family of Verona. Now only one tower remains. It has been completely restored at the end of the eighties and partially transformed into an agriturismo and winery, named Corteforte. In the ancient cellars of Corteforte there is a part dedicated to wine, where the wines age in the bottles. The modern process of vinification is located in a new part of the cellar, with temperature control, where the wines ferment in stainless steel tanks, before aging in the wooden barrels and in tonneaux. The barrel sizes range from 3,5 hl and the French Oak barriques range from 5 to 25 hl.

The vineyards extend over three hectares, all surrounding Corteforte, in an ideal position for the exposure of the vineyards, altitude and terroir. The vineyards were planted in 1990, trained with the traditional Pergola Veronese system, exposed to South West, at an altitude of 150-300 m a.s.l. The soil is volcanic, basaltic, with red stone and presence of limestone. The grapes are indigenous grapes of Valpolicella: mainly Corvina veronese, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara, with a small presence of other native grapes. The harvest is dedicated exclusively to the production of the Classic wines of Valpolicella: Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore, Amarone and Recioto della Valpolicella Classico. The yield per hectare is 40 q.li for Amarone and Recioto, 120 q.li for Valpolicella. The grapes for Amarone and for Recioto, are dried in a traditional way.