Good morning Marilisa, thank you for opening the doors of your company to us. Let’s start with the first question: what is your role?

“Owner of the companies Allegrini, Poggio al Tesoro, San Polo and Villa Della Torre. I am also the director of Corte Giara, which markets the wines of other companies. ”

What does wine mean to you? What deep emotion does it evoke?

“Talking about our wine means talking about our life, our family, our deepest roots (and history confirms this). Along with emotions that are inevitably linked to personal  memories, there is  also an evocative power today and perhaps for the future in talking about wine, because the culture of wine is so closely linked to Italy.  A discussion of wine means being able to talk about our land and territory, our “knowledge of doing business” and our ability to innovate for the benefit of an entire sector that is so much a part of our heritage. This heritage is sought after and appreciated all over the world, the Made in Italy heritage. It’s a story that excites me and stimulates me every day. ”

The Allegrini family has a long tradition in winemaking. What were the difficulties at the beginning, and what are the satisfactions of today?

“I would speak of ‘challenges’ rather than difficulties: I believe every change, every evolution is a challenge that involves courage, sacrifice, dedication.

When our father left us prematurely, my brothers and I found ourselves having to run an entire company alone, but together. We divided the tasks: Walter became the manager of the vineyards, Franco became the wine producer, I started to deal with wine marketing and communication.

Traveling has been inevitable, and this has certainly involved sacrifices, especially as a mother, but I was lucky to have the support of Giancarlo, the father of my daughters,  who has always been by my side. 

Getting out of one’s “comfort zone” I believe is one of the biggest but also most shared difficulties in the business landscape today. But it has been a source of great pride to have received the honor of the Knights of Labor. For me, it was a confirmation of the value that women’s entrepreneurship can have, and it is a real honor to be part of this world. ”

Your wines are born in Valpolicella: what are the characteristics of the soil on which your vines grow?

“The Allegrini properties extend for about 150 hectares in the cradle of Valpolicella Classica. The wines are the fruit of grapes grown exclusively on our family’s land. 

Our La Grola wine is made from grapes  from a  clay-calcareous soil, characterized by very little soil and a lot of fine gravel. Rich in potassium and calcium, low in magnesium and iron, it is a poorly fertile soil that keeps the vine in a mild state of stress, a useful factor for limiting the quantity of production.

Our La Poja wine is made from grapes on a perfectly flat platform overlooking the hill of La Grola. Of Cretaceous origin, the earth has a significant calcareous component very rich in fine gravel. It has a perfectly white surface which, reflecting sunlight, ensures that the grapes reach optimal sugar and phenolic ripeness levels.

For our  Fieramonte wine, the soil is clay-calcareous, very deep, and it is resistant to dry periods, offering grapes with interesting ripening indices. 

The Palazzo Della Torre wine comes from a section of the vineyard surrounding the Villa Della Torre, an important and elegant villa of the Italian Renaissance culture and architecture, that I purchased in 2008”.

Do you use traditional or special winemaking methods?

“Allegrini’s wine making methods can now be defined as traditional, but actually are the result of innovations introduced over the years after careful study, and the result of continuous experimentation.

Certainly worth mentioning is the process of drying grapes for the creation of Amarone, which was the subject of a study by my brother Franco. Today in Terre di Fumane there is  an advanced grape drying center open to different organizations in Valpolicella”.

Let’s talk about environmental sustainability: is it important for you?

“Talking about environmental sustainability today is a sine qua non for any company. For a wine producing company like ours, sustainability actually means drawing on the good practices of the past, which my father and my brothers have always adopted in the countryside.

Respect for the landscape has always been the basis of viticulture, the vines design the landscape and preserve it. We think, for example, of the drywall or the design that creates the rows; everything is designed to preserve and improve the environment for new generations to come.

Practices such as using a green cover crop, have always been used and are still used today. These practices are also now supported by science, and allow us to adopt them in the best way; there is more awareness for these types of practices.

And of course, all of this can also be measured now. That is why we have received, since 2019,  an Equalitas Sustainability Certification and even before that,a Biodiversity Friend certification, confirming our path of respect for nature”.

Why should we taste your wines? Give me three good reasons.

“Thanks to the passion and dedication with which we cultivate them, our wines are the expression of a great territory.

The Valpolicella Superiore provides all the pleasantness and drinkability of the native grapes. 

Our Amarone makes you appreciate the technique and the tradition of drying, which gives the wine its taste and unique characteristics, while maintaining the right balance with the integrity of the fruit.

La Poja offers an extremely balanced and harmonious wine, the fruit of one of the most beautiful vineyards in Valpolicella and an emblem of the agronomic intuition of my father and my brothers.

Three different tastings for an unforgettable experience from our land”.

Which wine are you particularly proud of and why?

“I am proud of all our wines because they represent a moment, a memory and often a desire that has come true.

For instance,  La Poja, which, incidentally, is celebrating a 40th harvest anniversary this year,  represents my father’s dream come true. I remember when he took me to the vineyard as a child, he always wanted to buy it and make a great wine with it. When it was finally possible, he turned it into an emblem of his innovative streak: he decided to plant Corvina Gentile, to have a higher planting density of 4240 strains per hectare – against an average of 1600/2000 strains – and to use the Guyot system as a breeding system instead of the typical Pergola”.

Has Allegrini received any prizes or awards?

“Because our commitment never stops, Allegrini has won many important awards and international prizes over time. The latest, which particularly excites us, is the 100 Decanter points for our Fieramonte, the only Amarone to have ever achieved such an important result.

I remember with pleasure that Allegrini was selected as winery of the year 2016 by Gambero Rosso, the Italian food and wine magazine, and Gambero Rosso has awarded our Amarone with the Tre Bicchieri award of excellence 26 times.

Finally, I remember the bond cultivated over the years with America and in particular with Wine Spectator magazine which  has selected Allegrini, since its first edition of the OperaWine trade show and which has mentioned Palazzo della Torre on six occasions in its prestigious TOP 100, dedicated to the best wines in the world”.