When Sauro Maule was twenty-five, he made a decision that would reshape his family's land forever: trade cattle for vines and commit every hectare of the Colli Berici hills to natural wine. What emerged from that choice is Il Cavallino, a small estate in San Germano dei Berici that stands as one of Veneto's most quietly compelling natural-wine addresses.
Backstory
The farm traces its roots to Sauro's father, Lino Maule, who raised cattle and horses on the limestone hills southeast of Vicenza for more than three decades. In 2010 Sauro returned from agricultural studies at the Trentin institute in Lonigo and convinced himself the land had a different future. He began renting and replanting parcels, working alongside Angiolino Maule of La Biancara -- the founding figure of VinNatur and no relation -- from 2011 through 2016. During that apprenticeship he learned soil science, organic viticulture, and cellar restraint. In 2017 he converted an old cattle shed on the family property into his own winery and produced his first commercial releases under the Il Cavallino name.
The Region
The Colli Berici is a compact range of hills rising above the Venetian plain between Vicenza and Verona. Compared with the more famous Soave and Valpolicella zones to the north, it remains largely off the radar of international wine buyers -- which suits Sauro perfectly. Limestone and clay dominate the red-grape parcels in the heart of the hills, while the white-grape plots in Selva di Montebello and Gambellara sit on basalt-rich volcanic soils that lend a mineral freshness to Garganega and Durella.
Vineyards and Farming
Sauro farms roughly six hectares across multiple parcels using organically certified methods. No synthetic herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers have ever touched the vineyards. Permanent grass cover occupies the inter-rows throughout the growing season; in winter, green manures are incorporated to return organic matter and micronutrients to the soil. When disease pressure demands treatment, Sauro relies on dilute copper and sulfur sprays, reducing even those inputs each year. He monitors soil microorganism populations in collaboration with VinNatur members and has experimented with propolis and seaweed extracts as alternatives to copper fungicides.
Winemaking
In the cellar, patience is the governing principle. Grapes are harvested only at full phenolic maturity, and vintages that fall short of that standard are skipped entirely rather than compromised in bottle. Fermentations proceed spontaneously without cultured yeasts. Wines age in a combination of stainless-steel tanks and wooden barrels. Sulfur dioxide is added in very small doses only when deemed necessary, with total sulfite levels kept well below 35 mg/L. All wines are bottled unfiltered.
The Wines
The range includes two whites built on Garganega -- including the Granselva Bianco, a blend with Durella -- alongside a skin-contact orange wine called Pri, a sparkling Sgass from Garganega and Durella, and reds from Merlot and the rare indigenous Tai Rosso grape. The wines are deliberately fruit-forward and textural, with a freshness that reflects both the volcanic and limestone soils of the Berici Hills.
