Sergio Zenato Riserva
⏳ Drinking Window
2015 - 2032
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Slow-braised beef short ribs, roasted wild game such as venison or wild boar, and mature, sharp cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano.
✨ Technical Specifications
Crafted only in outstanding vintages, the Sergio Zenato Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva stands as a monument to the visionary founder who helped redefine the Veneto wine landscape in the 1960s. Sourced from the oldest, low-yielding vines of the Costalunga estate in Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella, this wine is a traditional blend dominated by Corvina, alongside Rondinella, Oseleta, and Croatina. The grapes undergo the ancient appassimento process, drying in dedicated lofts for three to four months to concentrate sugars, acids, and phenolics. Following a slow, cool fermentation, the wine is aged for at least four years in large Slavonian oak casks, resulting in an incredibly complex, velvety masterpiece layered with notes of dark cherry, cocoa, and exotic spice, reflecting the limestone-clay soils of its historic terroir.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1960 by Sergio and Carla Zenato on the southern banks of Lake Garda, Zenato is an iconic dual-terroir estate celebrated for elevating the profile of Turbiana (Trebbiano di Lugana) as well as mastering classic Veronese reds. The family's viticultural footprint spans mineral-laden, compacted morainic clays in Lugana alongside hillside limestone and calcareous marl terraces at Tenuta Costalunga in Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella. Managed today by second-generation siblings Alberto and Nadia Zenato, the estate emphasizes certified sustainable viticulture under Equalitas frameworks, marrying regional traditions with meticulous modern precision. Winemaking prioritizes varietal clarity, structural longevity, and terroir fidelity, highlighted by temperature-controlled stainless steel aging for whites, wood maturation for selections, and refined appassimento techniques for red expressions. Benchmark labels include the flagship Lugana Riserva Sergio Zenato, Lugana San Benedetto, Metodo Classico Lugana Brut, and monumental red icons including Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Riserva and Ripassa Valpolicella Superiore.
🍇 Grapes
Corvina (45-95%), Corvinone, Rondinella