Alessia and Stefano Bertaiola launched Vini Sassara just outside Verona, on the gentle hills that slope toward Lake Garda. Stefano is a third-generation farmer who grew up on land his family has worked for over fifty years. Alessia brings a background in agricultural research. Together, they took full control of the estate in 2007 and set out to show what Bardolino is capable of when left to express itself without chemical shortcuts.
Backstory
The Bertaiola family has farmed this corner of the Veneto for three generations, selling grapes to cooperatives before Alessia and Stefano decided to bottle under their own label. The shift was gradual but deliberate: an embrace of biodynamics, a turn away from the region's conventional wine culture, and a commitment to making wines that reflect the land rather than the market.
The Region
Bardolino sits in the southwest Veneto, on a peninsula of morainic hills formed by retreating glaciers that once covered the northern Po Valley. The soils carry layers of quartz, granite, and alabaster deposited over millennia. The lake moderates temperatures, stretching the growing season and preserving acidity in the grapes. It is a region historically known for light reds and rosato, but one with far greater depth than its reputation suggests.
Vineyards and Farming
The estate covers 14 hectares, of which 10 are planted to vines. The remainder is olive groves and woodland. All vineyard work follows organic and biodynamic principles. Old-vine parcels hold a diverse cast of indigenous varieties, including Corvina, Rossanella, Rondinella, and Molinara for reds, and Fernanda, Trebbianello, Garganega, and Tocai for whites.
Winemaking
Fermentation relies on ambient yeasts. No additives, no fining agents. Sulfite use is kept minimal. Alessia and Stefano work in the cellar with the same restraint they apply in the vineyard, allowing each wine to complete its own arc without intervention.
The Wines
The portfolio spans skin-contact whites, a crisp traditional Bardolino, and a sparkling red that captures the playful side of the region. Wines like Misia, Esotico, and Goto express the range of terroir and variety that these morainic hills contain. Each is bottled under a vivid, distinctive label that mirrors the energy Alessia and Stefano bring to the land.
