Villa Corniole – an introduction to the Pellegrini family and “heroic” viticulture

This is the first in a series of posts that capture my experiences in visiting our winemakers.

As the world began returning to normalcy, I had the opportunity to travel to Italy, through my participation in Vinitaly International Academy’s Italian Wine Ambassador certification, and sponsored by the Italian Trade Agency.

Having spent 5 days in Verona for the Ambassador program, my first stop was in Trentino, one of the northernmost regions of Italy. I drove north into Trentino, along the eastern shore of Lake Garda, to see the Pellegrini family, owners of Villa Corniole. And I was accompanied by Chrisa Giorgi, a documentary film maker who had flown to Italy from Crete to help me document this adventure.

Trentino and its capital city of Trento are in the Italian Alps, and include some of the highest elevation vineyards in Italy (the highest are in the northwestern region of Valle d’Aosta), along with spectacular views of the Dolomites. The road to the winery wound its way to the small town of Giovo. I immediately felt empathy for the truck drivers who had to navigate these narrow and winding roads as they picked up pallets from Villa Corniole for an order.

When we arrived, we were greeted by Sabina Pellegrini, one of the three sisters and my contact with the winery. Sabina greeted us warmly, and was soon joined by her mother, Maddalena, and her sister, Linda. The father, Onorio, was unfortunately unable to meet with us, as he was recovering from the effects of his COVID vaccine the day prior.

All aspects of the grape growing and winemaking operations are handled by the family. Onorio and Maddalena work in the vineyards, and in the cellar with Mattia, a cousin of the family who is the winemaker. Sabina and Linda look after the business and also work in the vineyards; their sister Sara also assists when she is able to. There are no other employees; the family is assisted during the harvest by friends, families, and neighbors.

Each year, Villa Corniole produces about 80,000 bottles of still wine, and another 25,000 of Trento DOC, a traditional-method (similar to champagne) sparkling wine made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It is essentially their hands that are responsible for every drop of wine in their bottles.

After espresso and water, we immediately got into the car and headed for the vineyards of Valle di Cembra. The views were stunning and the vineyards terraced the mountain sides. Since Italy is a mountainous country, there are several regions with grape growing on mountainsides, and the producers typically refer to this as “heroic viticulture”…the vines must be hand-tended, the terrain is rugged, and a misstep could lead to a difficult fall.

Views of the Valle di Cembra with Sabina and Russ. Photo credit: Chrisa Giorgi.

In the Valle di Cembra, vines grow at 700 and 800 m above sea level (2300 to 2600 ft). They benefit from the sun exposure and warm winds in the day, and cooling breezes at night, providing the daily temperature shift that grape growers love. The soil type contains limestone, providing a counterpoint that allows the grapes to develop persistent acidity that leads to a bright and crisp fruit character; there are also soils of volcanic origins in the area that tend to promote more aromatic characters.

The Pellegrini family inherited vines from prior generations, and built their winery nearby. In Valle di Cembra, they grow the aromatic white wine varieties Müller Thurgau and Gewürztraminer, along with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (locally known as Pinot Nero). The Müller Thurgau is a regular award winner for the family, and as we would learn later, is also quite age worthy.

Lower in the valley is Rotaliana, where vineyards of Pinot Grigio, Lagrein, and Teroldego are planted. The vineyards are in alluvial, stony soil that allows for water drainage; the mountains protect the grapes from cold. Teroldego, a red grape variety, is the most important grape in Trentino, and produces wines of deep color, crisp red and black fruit, and firm tannins. The Rotaliana valley is a cru site for Teroldego, known for making the best versions of wines from this grape.

Back to the winery…we walked through the cellar and saw the exquisite architecture, designed and built by Onorio, who is an avid woodworker. Pictures of cyclists lined the entry and the halls of the cellar, as Trentino has produced world-class competitive cyclists.

The cellar and barrel area of Villa Corniole. Photo credit: Russ Lorber

Sabina and I tasted the current vintages of Pinot Grigio and Teroldego in the barrel room. The Pinot Grigio is a rugged example that shows crisp fruit and floral character with substantial intensity; the Teroldego was a well balanced red wine with fresh red and dark fruits, a slight fresh herb character, and firm but fine tannins.

Later, we would meet Mattia, and taste other wines with him and the rest of the family, including Müller-Thurgau and Chardonnay. A 2011 Chardonnay was a very pleasant surprise; the wine retained some bright fruit character but was developing hazelnut characters with aging that were contributing to a nice complexity.

Our last stop of the evening was a walk through Trento, which was becoming more lively with pandemic restrictions easing, and a lovely and delicious dinner accompanied by Villa Corniole’s Trento DOC Spumante and Pietramontis Pinot Nero.

We are very grateful to the Pellegrini family for their hospitality during our visit. I am looking forward to growing our relationship, and we will have exciting launches to talk about later in 2021.

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