La garganega - Dal Maso
17 Oktober 2018

Garganega

During events or wines tasting out of Vicenza, people often ask us: “what’s Garganega?”. Today, we are going to explain you.
Garganega is the authoctonous grape of the Gambellara region, where our company was born at the end of the last century. This grape variety boasts a centuries-old presence and tradition in the Vicenza territory, with a very long history dated back to the Etruscan age.
The Gambellara hills have a volcanic origin: the soil is dark and filled of black rocks with a basaltic-clayey texture. These are the lands where the Garganega is well suited to live. We constantly monitor its strenght in the vineyard, in order to limit and reduce yields and achieve an high quality product.
Having vineyards in the hills means obtain the highest quality from this grape variety: actually our vineyards Ca’ Fischele and Riva Del Molino are located about 120 meters above sea level. They are in a great sun exposure that ensure a perfect grape ripening. They are also touched by hills’ breezes that help bunches experience a cooling effect during the long sunny warm days. All this elements help increasing the aromatic flavours.
From this vineyards we get the wines of the same name “Ca’ Fischele” and “Riva del Molino”: wines that made our family history.
One of the main features of this grape variety is the thick skin of the berries which makes this variety perfect to be dried. That’s why our family has always produced sweet wines made from Garganega (Recioto di Gambellara Docg and Vin Santo di Gambellara Doc) after drying grapes with the traditional “picai” method.
Our father Luigino loved Garganega because of the possibility to obtain elegant and long-lived wines, always able to greatly impress thanks to their freshness and minerality.
Wines are characterized by aromas of white flowers (chamomile, daisy,…) and white fresh fruit (apricot, lemon, apple,…), reaching sometimes to light tropical notes. The first taste is a surprise for everyone, thanks to the almond aftertaste (typical of Garganega) that we strongly try to mantain and ehnance.
Traditionally wines ageing is in stainless steel tanks, but some are aged in barrels or barriques, as our “Riva del Molino” aged for about 6 months in 15 hl oak casks. In this case, the use of barrels helps wine to express itself fully and to ehnance its complexity and structure.
Garganega is also a masterpiece in nature: the golden and pinkish light of the ripe bunches while the yellow of the autumn leaves outline the landscape and the hills ridges.

Video il vigneto di garganega Ca‘ Fischele

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