Andrea Pendin describes himself as a "Wine Chef," and the analogy fits. Before founding Tenuta l'Armonia in 2010, he studied Gastronomic Sciences and spent years in kitchens before realising that his real creative medium was the vineyard. Based in Montecchio Maggiore, between Verona and Padua in the Vicenza hills, he has spent the years since building one of the most talked-about small natural wine estates in the Veneto.
The Estate
Tenuta l'Armonia farms dark volcanic soils with a full biodynamic and regenerative approach, avoiding selected yeasts, clarifying agents, and stabilisers, and minimising sulfite use to the absolute minimum. Beyond wine, the property produces ancient wheat flour, olive oil, and organic vegetables, all part of a vision of the estate as a self-sustaining agricultural system.
The Grapes and Wines
Andrea works primarily with indigenous Veneto varieties: Garganega, Durella, and Tai Rosso. These are not the obvious choices for a natural wine project, which is precisely the point. The G-Ray bottling and the estate's sparkling, skin-contact, and experimental blends express the volcanic character of the Vicenza terroir in ways that Soave and Valpolicella rarely manage. Andrea trained alongside some of the most innovative vignerons in France and Italy, and that influence shows in the precision and intention behind each label.
Impact
In little over a decade, Andrea Pendin has helped put the small town of Vicenza on the natural wine map, inspiring a community of younger winemakers in the region. Tenuta l'Armonia is evidence that Veneto's best terroir is still being discovered.
