The story of Villa Canestrari began in 1888, when Carlo Bonuzzi, the owner of a large number of vineyards in the Illasi Valley, graduated from the Royal School of Winemaking at Conegliano Veneto, contributing to the evolution of an activity in which his family was already involved. It was he who began bottling and selling the wines that the family produced, as can be seen from some of the labels displayed in our wine museum.
This long-standing tradition was already in its third generation when, with the fusion of the Bonuzzi and Franchi families – both with more than 120 years’ history in the world of wine production – “Villa Canestrari” was created in the 1990s, becoming the trademark that encapsulated the new philosophy of the company, encompassing the typical characteristics of the local terroir, tradition and quality.
Today, the fourth generation carries on the hard work of our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents in a precise, environmentally-aware manner, preserving the passion for quality that has always characterized the family for over a century. One hundred and twenty-five years of tradition are an important legacy: a wealth of expertise, anecdotes and values that we seek to maintain and make known through our wines. All of our vineyards are situated in the hilly zone to the east of Verona known as the Illasi Valley, in the communes of Colognola ai Colli and Illasi itself.
The variety of the soils, which are of alluvial limestone with a tendency towards becoming gravel, and have a volcanic substratum, or which have been formed from a layer of rubble from calcareous marine rocks, determine – along with the heterogeneous nature of our microclimates – the typical characteristics of our products. In the last few years, we have remodelled and replanted our vineyards, adopting agricultural criteria that highlight and enhance the quality and uniqueness of our wines without, however, altering their typical characteristics.
We farm with passion some twenty hectares of well-exposed vineyards, cultivated partly with Guyot and partly with the Veronese Pergola training system.
Our vineyards are situated both in the zone for Valpolicella and in that of Soave, allowing us to produce both types of wine. Our sites, thanks to their different microclimates, yield grapes that highlight the typical characteristics of their particular places of origin.
To some extent, these two very different zones complement one another in our way of conceiving wine: it is a gift that the land offers us, as well as a chance to provide emotions and an opportunity to preserve and pass on our passion for our area and our constant quest for quality.
Tasting
Guided tour of the vinification area, the underground canteen where ageing and fining take place and final wine tasting. Visit with 3-wines wine tasting: 8 euros per person; visit with 3 Amarone- wine tasting: 20 euros per person.
Tasting Price: 15 euros
Tours
The Villa Canestrari Wine Museum was set up to celebrate the work of four generations of vine-growers and winemakers, but also to show younger visitors how hard – yet fascinating – the working life of our grandparents and great-grandparents was. Older visitors, on the other hand, can admire with a certain nostalgia agricultural equipment that harks back to the early days of mechanization in our sector.
The museum is divided up into several rooms. In the largest one, there is a collection of equipment and tools that date back to the beginning of the 20th century: there are instruments used for drying the grapes, various kinds of filters and bottling machines.
In the office used in the 1920s are displayed old typewriters and ledgers that belonged to the family. A historical gem to be found in this room is a notebook dated 1886, which contains jottings on wine and wine-making by Carlo Bonuzzi, an ancestor of Villa Canestrari’s owners. In 1888 he qualified as a winemaker at the Royal School of Viticulture and Oenology in Conegliano Veneto, thus giving a new quality impetus to the family’s activity as wine producers. A staircase leads down to the villa’s underground cellar, where our Amarone Riserva ages for several years. On the first floor of the Museum there is the reconstruction of a laboratory: in this highly evocative setting are displayed examples of old instruments for analysing wines.
The “grain loft”, where the grapes used to be left to dry in order to make the Reciotos, has been converted into a conference hall where our wine-tasting courses and other wine-related events are held. These enable visitors to gain a deeper knowledge of wine and winemaking and learn how to recognize flavours, scents and aftertastes, as well as how to match wines with food. The Museum is also an Educational Centre, so we are delighted to welcome school groups and students.
Tasting Price: You will taste three wines and visit the entire museum. Prices: €11 (min. 21 people)
• €14 (11-20 people)
• €16 ( 5 -10 people)
• €19 (1-4 people)
**By adding € 5,00 per person you can add cold cuts and cheese to the wine tasting
Amenities
This winery is popular among visitors for its museum.
This winery offers wine tastings on the property either by walk-in or appointment.
This winery offers wine tours on their property. Either of the winery facility, vineyards and/or cellar space.
Grape Varieties
Wine Styles
- Amarone della Valpolicella DOC Riserva
- Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG
- Dry Red Wines
- Dry White Wines
- Recioto della valpolicella DOCG
- Recioto di Soave DOCG
- Soave DOC
- Soave Superiore DOCG
- Valpolicella DOC
- Valpolicella Superiore DOC
I am so intrigued by this winery! My maiden name is Canestrari and our family is from Cohoes, N.Y. (way upstate NY, north of Albany). I am now on the lookout for stores that carry it in the U.S.