The Allegrini family dates back six generations in the region of Valpolicella, but the modern estate was established by Giovanni Allegrini in the early 1960’s. He birthed Allegrini’s focus on high-quality cru wines, purchasing and replanting the La Grola, La Poja and Palazzo della Torre vineyards just before his death in 1983.
FROM VINEYARDS TO ICONS
Allegrini’s story is inextricably linked to that of Valpolicella Classica, where it has been a leading player since 1854.
The winery, established in Fumane (VR), is the manifestation of the acumen and dedication of Giovanni Allegrini, a straightforward, uncontrived man who built a solid, efficient and innovative business.
It was he who, in the ‘60s, transformed his ancestors’ farm into a successful winery, revolutionizing production processes, placing great emphasis on quality instead of quantity and introducing important innovations in both vineyard tending and winemaking.
Giovanni Allegrini started working while still quite young, and with the passion tha made him unique, perfected the art of winemaking, demonstrating great ability and an innate charisma. The improvements he devised heralded a real renaissance for the Valpolicella area and the first steps in the development of the distinctive “Allegrini style”, recognized at the international level.
Affectionately nicknamed “the wine barrel spider”, Giovanni was proud to offer tastes of his wines in the cellars, and as he listened to judgments and advice, he moved with agility amongst his precious barrels. His lifestyle and culture are still the key to understanding the winery and its success.
To his descendants he transmitted his gusto for life, respect for the family history and unstinting dedication, elements that have shaped the Allegrini philosophy.
After his death, in 1983, his children took over the reins of the winery, benefiting from their father’s successes and following his teachings while always keeping in mind the family tradition.
Today, the winery is managed by the seventh generation: Francesco, Giovanni, Matteo and Silvia.
The first three are the heirs of Franco, one of the best Italian enologists, who passed in 2022, leaving a legacy of ideas that proved decisive in the winery’s expansion. His profound attachment to the land, in particular, lead him to found, in 1997, together with Roberto Ferrarini, professor of Enology at the University of Verona, an innovative grape-drying facility called “Terre di Fumane”, accessible to local grape growers. In their honor, the University of Verona still grants research fellowships in the viticulture and enology.
Silvia is instead the daughter of Walter, an agronomist responsible for tending the vineyards, who died prematurely in the summer of 2003, after having distinguished himself for his humble nature, along with his dedication and resourcefulness, and an extraordinary capacity to establish fruitful relationships.
From him, Silvia has inherited a direct, no-nonsense character and a lifestyle marked by a profound symbiosis with nature, for which he nurtured an ardent passion.
Francesco, Giovanni, Matteo and Silvia carry on with pride and dedication the work begun by their grandfather and continued by their parents, guided by the family’s devotion to viticulture and wine, a bond that will stand the test of time.
“Valpolicella is often known for ‘technique over terroir,’ but Allegrini rejects this notion, bringing a clear focus to cru and vineyard-designate wines, brought to life with clean and polished winemaking.”
ESTATE & LOCATION
Region: Valpolicella Classico
Founded: 1854
Proprietor: Francesco, Giovanni, Matteo e Silvia Allegrini
Winemaker: Paolo Mascanzoni e Lorenzo Fortini
Vineyards: 150 ha Valpolicella Classico and Lugana
Environmental: Certified Sustainable in the EU
The Valpolicella winegrowing region is located in the Veneto region in Northeast Italy, with temperatures mitigated by nearby Lake Garda (Italy’s largest freshwater lake). Its location at the foothills of the Lessini mountains means that cooling influences become more pronounced as you move north and gain elevation. Additionally, at these higher altitudes, the soils turn from clay to calcareous, as ancient seabeds have been revealed by millennia of erosion. Allegrini’s primary vineyards range in altitude from 180 to over 500 meters above sea level, and from these plots they bottle powerful and structured expressions of the native grapes of Valpolicella.
Allegrini farms four primary vineyards across two sub zones in Valpolicella Classico, with the famous monopole crus of La Grola and La Poja in Sant-Ambrogio, and in Fumane, their hometown, the vineyards of Fieramonte, and Villa Cavarena, where Amarone and Palazzo della Torre wine are produced.
PHILOSOPHY
Allegrini is the benchmark for gastronomic Amarone. There is likely no other producer making a more linear, even mineral expression of the famously rich wine. This is accomplished through high elevation vineyards and fastidious attention to the appassimento process. But Allegrini is more than its Amarone wines. Specifically, they bottle one of Giovanni Allegrini’s most inspired visions: a monovarietal, vineyard-appellated Corvina wine that doesn’t undergo the appassimento process. A pure expression of terroir, La Poja, was the first of its kind and still one of only a few 100 percent Corvina wines made. They make two additional cru-designate wines with La Grola and Palazzo della Torre, and the top wine of the estate is their Amarone Riserva from their Fieramonte vineyard.
Valpolicella is often known for “technique over terroir,” but Allegrini rejects this notion, bringing a clear focus to cru and vineyard-designate wines, brought to life with clean and polished winemaking.
IMPORTED PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW
Maze Row imports several wines from Allegrini, including their benchmark Amarone and the famous IGT wine, Palazzo della Torre.
Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva DOCG Fieramonte
Veneto IGT La Grola
Veneto IGT La Poja
Lugana DOC Oasi Mantellina
Veneto IGT Palazzo della Torre
Lugana DOC Oasi Mantellina