Cantina Viviani

Claudio Viviani, along with his wife, Sandra, and his family, farm 10 hectares of vineyards in the hamlet of Mazzano in the historic Valpolicella Classico zone. Mazzano is such a highly-regarded area that the Italian food and wine publication Gambero Rosso has listed it as a Premiere Cru in a hypothetical Valpolicella classification. Here, the vineyards of Viviani sit at some of the highest elevations in the region, 345-450 meters above sea level, on soils of limestone mixed with fossilized pink coral. Claudio’s main goal is to grow balanced grapes to make a balanced wine. To that end, he utilizes only sustainable practices in the vineyard and eschews all synthetic treatments on his vines. All of his wines have a high degree of freshness and vibrancy to them, and are some of the most authentic wines in Valpolicella.
Mazzano is in the Negrar Valley, one of three main valleys that are home to the superior hillside vineyards of the Valpolicella Classico. In 1968, when the Valpolicella DOC was created, the area of production was greatly enlarged, encompassing vineyards not part of the traditional, or Classico zone. This distinction is important, as the vineyards in the Classico are planted at higher elevations on steep, hillside vineyards over calcareous soils. This terroir imparts more flavor and distinction to the wines.
The Viviani family’s aim is to express the full potential of their property, above all by employing viticultural practices which will allow the vines to grow in as natural and harmonious a way as possible, and thereby produce high quality grapes.
This involves the phasing-out of treatments with synthetic products (herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers) today, the Viviani estate’s environmentally-friendly agricultural practices conform to EEC directive 2078. Moreover, extending this philosophy to their wine-ry operations, the Vivianis avail themselves of modern plant and techniques, whilst retaining a healthy respect for the grapes they use as well as for local traditions.