Valtènesi Riviera del Garda Classico DOC Rosaluce Chiaretto 2020 Bio

“Chiaretto” is the word with which rosé wines are called in the Garda area. On the western shore of the lake in the province of Brescia, rosé wines are produced with the indigenous Groppello grape variety, which on the loose soil of morainic origin gives fragrant wines with a light body and excels precisely in pink vinification. In fact, here the tradition of making rosé wines is ancient; they are called “one night wines”, because the contact time of the skins with the must is only one night, after which wine making continues as if they were white wine. The Valtènesi Chiaretto, in the DOC Riviera del Garda Classico, are among the most elegant rosés in Italy, produced since the end of the 19th century. It is said that the production of rosé wines in this area began with the Venetian Senator Molmenti, who by marrying a noblewoman from Garda had land in Valtènesi as a dowry. He applied the techniques of pink wine making that he had learned in his travels to France.

The factors that make the Valtènesi Chiaretto wines so unique are at least 3: the indigenous Groppello vine variety, the mild microclimate influenced by Lake Garda and the loose limestone clay soil of morainic origin. It is usual to make wines not only with Groppello but blending it also with Sangiovese, Barbera and Marzemino.

The harvest of red grapes is made earlier compared to the production of red wines, in order to have limited alcohol content and excellent freshness. The grapes are pressed and the skins are kept in contact with the must for only a few hours, the time of one night, so as to release color. After that, only the liquid must continues fermentation in stainless steel vats at a low temperature.