Meroni

Meroni, in Valpolicella, is the typical boutique winery. A small winery full of atmosphere with limited production and high quality, informal hospitality but attentive to the needs of the visitor.

The guided tour is a 360° experience. It starts with a walk in the vineyard just behind the main building. It continues with the underground cellar with its large oak barrels where Amarone rests for years. You will try the wines in the old 1700s vaulted cellar, transformed into a charming tasting room.

Meroni Winery

The estate covers about 12 hectares (29 ac) in the small valley of Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella. It faces south-west, right below the ancient village of San Giorgio with its Roman remains and middle age church. The production is around 50/60,0000 bottles, but it may vary a lot depending on the vintage.

The Tradition

Meroni winery decided not to follow fashions and trends in wine making. Their founding principles are the respect for tradition and the terroir of Valpolicella.
Besides the usual Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella, Carlo decided to keep the traditional Molinara variety in the blend. This despite the fact that the production regulations have made it optional, mainly for marketing purpose. Today there are few Valpolicella producers that still use Molinara in the Amarone blend, replaced by more coloring grapes.
Grape drying takes place in the attic above the cellar in a completely natural way for the typical 100 days.
Aging for all Valpolicella wines is particularly long. They use the 25 hectolitre barrels ("those that have always been used in Valpolicella"). It is one year for the Classico, three for the Superiore, and no less than five for the Amarone. For the great vintages of Amarone Riserva, it can be as long as 10. All the work in the vineyard and in the cellar are carried out without any hurry, respecting nature pace.

Meroni Wines

The result is timeless wines of great pleasantness and versatility.
Amarone in particular is elegant without being intrusive, does not get boring after the first sip and is perfect for food pairing. For those who know how to listen to it, it reveals an extraordinary complexity, which is growing in the old vintages. If you are looking for special bottles Meroni winery preserves a certain number of very old riservas for great vertical tastings.
At the antipodes of Amarone is the Valpolicella Classico. It is a wine that many cellars nowadays neglect to focus on more expensive products. Sengia Valpolicella Classico by Meroni has an exceptional freshness and exciting fruity notes. It is a very pleasant wine for the whole meal.

The Sant'Ambrogio made of velvet

Meroni's Valpolicella Superiore, Amarone, Recioto wines are part of the "Il Velluto" (The Velvet) product line. Their label repreduces a portrait of Veronese poet Berto Barbarani together with the autograph text of one of his poems.

These are a few verses that the poet wrote to thank the founder of the Meroni winery for some bottles he had received as a gift.
What seems a simple playful nursery rhyme contains in fact much of the history and tradition of Valpolicella and hides the drama of the years in which he wrote it. Berto Barbarani calls the wine "Sant'Ambrogio". It is one of the five towns of Valpolicella Classica in which the Meroni winery is located, linking it indissolubly to its territory of origin.
He says that this wine is made of "Velvet", a term often used today by sommeliers to describe the soft, silky consistency of Amarone.
Finally, he writes that this wine is "the family pharmacy". A few teaspoons of the sweet Recioto della Valpolicella, ancestor of Amarone, were commonly given as a restorative syrup as a remedy against colds, flu and seasonal ailments. Even to children! Barbarani recalls this traditional use of wine, but precedes the phrases with "universal confusion". He wrote the verses in 1943, at the height of the Second World War. For the poet, more than the ailments of the body, the wine has the task of relieving those of the soul.

Guided Tours and Events

At the Meroni winery you can take a tour of the cellar and guided wine tasting paired with snacks of local products.
Upon reservation, for organized groups, it is also possible to have lunches and dinners in the ancient 18th century cellar.
The winery s also available for private events and company meetings.

The Meroni winery is about 30' drive from the center of Verona. The wine shop is open from Monday to Saturday.
For full guided tours with tasting it is better to book in advance.
You can contact the winery at: +39 347 918 6167.

For information, bookings, guided tours that includes Meroni winery in a wider itinerary of the Valpolicella or other Verona wines production areas: