Three generations after his grandfather first picked Garganega in the Brovia cru, Davide Vignato is bottling the dark volcanic soul of Gambellara.
Backstory
Davide Vignato was born and raised in Gambellara and inherited the family winery. His grandfather Rinaldo was the first to harvest Garganega in the Brovia locality, followed by his father Gian Domenico. Davide reshaped the estate, lowering yields and becoming the first to bottle organic-certified wine as Gambellara DOC. The cellar today occupies the restored cowsheds where his grandfather once worked.
The Region
The winery lies in Gambellara, a village in the province of Vicenza in the Veneto, in the Monti Lessini foothills east of Verona. An extinct volcano, Monte San Marco, stands only about 500 meters away.
Vineyards & Farming
Davide farms 14 hectares on dark basaltic, volcanic-origin soils. Since 1997 he has worked organically and biodynamically, using techniques such as green manure and harvesting entirely by hand, with the explicit goal of capturing the deep minerality of Gambellara's terroir.
Winemaking
Fermentations are spontaneous, and the wines age on their fine lees, made with minimal intervention so the volcanic character comes through clearly.
The Wines
Garganega is the flagship variety that best expresses the estate, joined by Durella, Glera, Chardonnay and Merlot. Among the wines is the frizzante 'Primo Incontro,' a lively, mineral sparkler that captures the energy of these volcanic hills.
