Ca' Rugate wines: a tasting with Stevie Kim and Michele Tessari

Monteforte d'Alpone, in the province of Verona, is home to the winery that has belonged to the Tessari family for generations: in this episode of our podcast, we will taste a trio of key wines for the company, namely the Amedeo Lessini Durello Riserva, named in honor of a very common name in the Tessari family; the Monte Fiorentine Soave Classico, a blend of 90% Garganega and 10% Trebbiano; and the Amarone “Punta 470”, a blend of Corvina, Corvinone, and Rondinella.

Michele, where do we start? Can you tell us your family's story first?

For more than a hundred years, my family has been carrying out the winemaking activity that has made our labels famous. The seventy hectares that surround us are Ca’ Rugate, a place, an ideal, and obviously a vineyard, which gives the hills a 'wrinkled' appearance, marked by the lines of the rows.

Since the last century, we have been producing white wine, with a brand that was established much later than the first harvests, in the 1980s. My father registered the brand in 1986, but my grandfather had already started the story of this winery: Fulvio Beo celebrated his hundredth birthday, perhaps thanks to the wine of these lands!

And what about you, what can you tell us?

I came into play in the 2000s. After studying oenology, I joined this reality where the three DOC denominations of Soave, Valpolicella, and Lessini Durello intertwine: speaking of the latter, let’s approach the first of the three wines for tasting.

The Amedeo was named in honor of my father, my great-grandfather, and my son, different generations that share the same given name. We produce 8,000 bottles of this variety, out of the 800,000 that our winery produces in total; the area where Durello wine is produced is limited, but it has unique, fresh characteristics that give it longevity after disgorgement. The Amedeo can easily reach twenty years of aging, with its citrus and pointed notes, a gourmet wine.

What would you pair it with?

Definitely with finger food but also with Asian cuisine or with Mediterranean fish-based dishes. It’s not a wine for everyone, but connoisseurs know how to appreciate it and play with its acidity.

However, the most famous wine of your company is the Soave Classico: could you tell us about the Monte Fiorentine?

A historical wine for the Tessari family, the Monte Fiorentine had its first vintage in 1988: we are tasting the 2021 vintage. The 60,000 bottles of this label are sold worldwide, in about forty markets in addition to the national market, where 60% is sold. The vineyards from which we produce this wine are located at altitudes ranging from 200 to 250 meters, and the vines are old, more than thirty years old.

In a blind tasting, this Soave Classico would be recognizable because every hill in this area, as well as every slope, has its own characteristics: for example, the Monte Fiorentine is characterized by its balsamic and mineral notes.

Given the complexity that these wines have, when would be the best time to drink them?

I’m currently drinking the 2015 vintage: waiting seven or eight years before uncorking these bottles does true justice to their content.

We have in the company a cellar that serves as a historical archive of our vintages, where we also keep bottles from the 1950s. Our Soave can maintain its identity for up to twenty years, and we can guarantee this based on our personal experience.

In front of us, we have the 2018 vintage of Amarone. How was the name "Punta 470" chosen for this wine?

It may sound strange, but that name perfectly describes the origin of this wine. We are in the easternmost area of Valpolicella, at 470 meters above sea level; here we grow the local grapes, Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, without additional irrigation or any forced methods. This way, the wines become an expression of great elegance, which is appreciated both here and in our export markets, including Japan, Norway, Switzerland, and America.

To learn even more about Ca’ Rugate, we invite you to watch the episode of "The Italian Wine Podcast" with a glass of wine, preferably one that fits the theme of the tasting! For an extra glass, we recommend checking out the previous interviews from our journey to discover the best Italian wines on Mamma Jumbo Shrimp.