Tenuta Do Leoni is nestled in the Bugano hill, in the Vicenza Berica Riviera, at the beginning of the Berici Hills, in the province of Vicenza (North East of Italy). It is a contemporary wine project born from the desire to bring back to life a family land preserved for generations. Here, wine is not just agricultural production, but the result of a journey made of memory, research, and responsibility towards the landscape. Leading the Estate are Giovanni and Federica, who chose to transform an area that had long been uncultivated into a regenerated agricultural ecosystem. The name Do Leoni represents this shared vision: a family business that looks to the future without losing its connection to its roots, passing on the value of the land and its care to new generations. The viticulture project is developed with an agro-ecological and sustainable approach, based on agronomic practices attentive to soil fertility and biodiversity. The preparation of the land, the reforestation of the woods, and the introduction of cover cropping were decisive steps in the creation of a vineyard capable of fully integrating into the landscape of the Berici Hills.
A distinctive element of the production philosophy is the choice to cultivate PIWI grape varieties, naturally resistant to the main fungal diseases of the vine. This decision allows for reduced interventions in the vineyard and the development of a more conscious viticulture, aimed at protecting the ecosystem and the quality of the wine. The term PIWI comes from the German Pilzwiderstandsfähig, meaning “fungus resistant,” and identifies a new generation of vines capable of combining organoleptic expressiveness and agronomic sustainability. The territory of Bugano, with its red clays and limestone rocks of marine origin, represents an ideal context for the production of wines with character. A landscape that, even in past centuries, was recognized for the quality of its grapes, as evidenced by historical chronicles and accounts of travelers crossing these hills during the harvest season.
In this context, LA PRIMA takes shape, the Estate's first wine: a pure Souvignier Gris, initially produced in a micro-batch of 330 hand-numbered bottles. A wine that represents the beginning of a winemaking journey oriented towards expressive precision and the enhancement of the grape variety's potential. Its golden color with coppery reflections, citrus aromas, and notes of exotic fruit are accompanied by a fresh taste supported by a marked minerality.
The project originates from a spark, but it is rooted in a land that has belonged to the same family for generations, a farmhouse immersed in the Vicenza countryside. This connection with the territory and the natural vocation for vines have guided a journey of trust, patience, and respect.
Alongside the Souvignier Gris, the project dedicated to Prior, a red PIWI grape variety that has its roots in the Estate and represents the future prospect of production, is growing. Its evolution requires time and patience, essential elements in a viticulture that respects natural rhythms and prioritizes quality over production speed.
Tenuta Do Leoni is also a place of relationships and cultural influences. The viticulture project developed in dialogue with Berardo Da Schio, an agronomist and interpreter of contemporary sustainable agriculture, sharing the goal of regenerating the territory with the utmost respect for environmental balance. In this intertwining of expertise, friendship, and vision, a model of viticulture is born that interprets wine as an expression of the landscape and responsibility towards the future.
In every bottle, there is the idea of an agriculture capable of listening to the land, enhancing biodiversity, and transforming a family heritage into an authentic wine project. Tenuta Do Leoni thus represents one of the most interesting expressions of the new viticulture of the Berici Hills, where varietal innovation and territorial memory meet to shape distinctive and contemporary wines.
