When Matilde Poggi bottled her first vintage at Le Fraghe in 1984, she was 22 years old and working largely against the grain. Bardolino was then dominated by cooperatives and bulk production, and the idea that a young woman could build a serious independent estate in this appellation was not taken for granted. More than four decades later, Matilde is president of the Federazione Italiana Vignaioli Indipendenti and vice president of its European equivalent, a position that reflects both her stature in Italian wine and her lifelong conviction that the grower who farms the vine should be the one who makes and sells the wine.
Backstory
The Poggi family has farmed land in Cavaion Veronese since 1881. When relatives divided the property in the 1980s, Matilde chose to build her own winery rather than sell the grapes. Le Fraghe, which takes its name from the local dialect word for wild strawberries, gave its first harvest in 1984. Certified organic since 2009 in the vineyard and since 2012 in the cellar, the estate now farms 28 hectares in the communes of Affi and Cavaion Veronese.
The Region
Le Fraghe sits in the heart of the Bardolino DOC, just east of Lake Garda and south of Monte Baldo at an elevation of around 190 metres. The lake moderates temperatures year-round, and the glacially formed soils of this stretch of the Veneto produce wines with a characteristic lightness and freshness that sets Bardolino apart from its richer neighbors.
Vineyards and Farming
The estate is EU-certified organic and affiliated with FIVI, the independent winegrowers federation. Vines are trained in Guyot at a density of 5,000 plants per hectare, south-facing, and harvested by hand. Primary varieties are Corvina and Rondinella, the twin pillars of Bardolino, alongside Garganega for the white Camporengo. A consulting relationship with Federico Giotto supports the cellar work.
Winemaking
Le Fraghe vinifies each variety separately before blending. Maceration for the Bardolino DOC lasts seven to eight days, with daily cap management during fermentation, followed by malolactic fermentation and spring bottling. Stainless steel and cement tanks are used throughout; no oak is employed, a deliberate choice that keeps the wines transparent and fresh. The rosé Traccia di Rosa is made by direct press rather than saignée.
The Wines
The core range consists of Bardolino DOC (80% Corvina, 20% Rondinella), Bardolino Chiaretto DOC, Traccia di Rosa (direct-press rosé), and Camporengo, a white from Garganega. Some whites are bottled under screwcap to preserve the aromatic precision that Matilde considers essential to her style. Each wine is a clear expression of a producer who understands that restraint, not power, is the truest form of mastery.
