La Prima Souvignier Gris Veneto IGT

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The Product in Brief:

✓ Souvignier Gris Veneto IGT from PIWI vines grown on the Berici Hills - Italy North East

✓ First winemaking of the Tenuta Do Leoni

✓ Limited production of only 330 numbered bottles

✓ Fresh and mineral profile with citrus and exotic notes

✓ Vintage 2024

✓ Alcohol content: 12% vol.

✓ Ideal for gourmet aperitifs, fish, and vegetarian cuisine

Tenuta Do Leoni's "La Prima" is born in the Berici Hills (in the province of Vicenza), in the territory of Bugano, and represents the beginning of a contemporary winemaking project that combines sustainability, research, and landscape enhancement. A white wine that expresses a precise agricultural vision, where innovation and respect for the environment coexist in balance. The protagonist is Souvignier Gris, a resistant PIWI vine created in 1983 in Freiburg, Germany, and introduced to Italy's National Register of Grape Varieties in 2014. A still rare variety in the Italian landscape, it interprets modern viticulture with a sustainable approach, reducing interventions in the vineyard and enhancing the identity of the territory. Produced in a limited run of only 330 numbered bottles, this pure Souvignier Gris white wine comes from vineyards cultivated on red clay soils and limestone rocks of marine origin, typical of the Berici Hills. A terroir that gives the wine a distinct minerality and an elegant structure.

In the glass, it presents a luminous golden yellow, with delicate coppery nuances. The aromatic profile is intense and refined, with citrus notes, hints of exotic fruits, and subtle floral nuances. On the palate, it stands out for its freshness, balance, and a fine acidity that precisely accompanies each sip, enhancing the mineral component. An aperitif wine that naturally pairs with goat cheese and walnut crostini. It also expresses itself with balance as a first course, paired with fish - particularly successful with grilled shrimp - and delicate preparations, from asparagus risottos to wild herb risottos. Moving east, an interesting dialogue with some expressions of Asian cuisine, where the spicy notes find correspondence in preparations that include ginger or lemongrass. A label that tells a new idea of wine: sustainable, authentic, and deeply connected to the Berici Hills territory.

Product Sheet:

Grape Variety: Souvignier Gris (PIWI grape variety) in purity

Denomination: Veneto I.G.T.

Production Area: Bugano, Berici Hills (Vicenza) - Italy North East

Soil Characteristics: Red clays and limestones of marine origin

Color: Golden yellow with slight coppery nuances

Organoleptic Notes: The aromatic profile is intense and refined, with citrus notes, hints of exotic fruits, and subtle floral nuances. On the palate, it stands out for its freshness, balance, and a fine acidity that precisely accompanies each sip, enhancing the mineral component.

Serving Temperature: 8–10°C

Alcohol Content: 12.00% Vol.

Winemaking: Winemaking focused on enhancing varietal purity and the expressive freshness of the grape variety. Completely manual harvest in the second half of August, pressing of whole grapes, aging in steel on natural yeasts.

Production: 330 numbered bottles

Pairings: Gourmet aperitifs, goat cheese and walnut crostini, grilled fish, vegetable risottos, aromatic Asian cuisine.

From the volcanic soils of Soave to the limestone hills of the Berici, a journey between Verona and Vicenza to discover two territories that reveal different yet complementary expressions of Veneto wine.

East of Verona, Soave stretches across the hills that rise from the plain towards the Lessini Mountains. Further east, in the province of Vicenza, the Colli Berici emerge as a distinctive hilly landscape with a strong geological and natural identity. Two different territories, united by an ancient winemaking history and a relationship with the land that still shapes the character of their wines today. Here, the vine is not simply a crop. It is part of the landscape, the history of local families and the identity of the villages. Vine rows, dry-stone walls, rural courtyards, villas, castles and small villages tell the story of an agricultural civilisation built over centuries, in which wine has become one of the most authentic ways of interpreting the territory.

Soave: the land of volcanoes and Garganega

Soave is one of Italy's historic wine regions. Its heart lies in the eastern hills of the province of Verona, around the towns of Soave and Monteforte d'Alpone, where vineyards cover slopes and ridges shaped by an extraordinarily complex geological history. The medieval village of Soave, dominated by its castle and still enclosed within its ancient walls, is the best-known image of this territory. But to truly understand its wines, you need to climb into the hills, following roads that wind through vineyards, contrade and small rural settlements as far as Monteforte d'Alpone.

It is here that one of Soave's most fascinating features emerges: its volcanic origin. Millions of years ago, this part of Veneto was shaped by intense volcanic activity. Basalt, lava rock and tuff still emerge today across many of the eastern hills of the appellation, alternating with areas of limestone. This geological diversity is reflected directly in the wines, creating different expressions even within a short distance of one another.

On these soils, Garganega has found its natural habitat over the centuries. An ancient grape variety deeply rooted in the Veronese territory, Garganega has a remarkable ability to interpret the place where it grows. In the finest hillside vineyards of Soave, it combines ripe fruit, freshness, tension and a savoury, mineral character that becomes increasingly evident with time. Alongside Garganega grows Trebbiano di Soave, a historic presence capable of adding freshness and precision to the wines.

Soave Classico identifies the historic heart of the appellation, on the hills of Soave and Monteforte d'Alpone. It is a landscape shaped over time, where vineyards often grow on steep slopes and human cultivation has followed the natural contours of the hills rather than altering them. Here, altitude, exposure, ventilation and soil composition change from one contrada to another. It is precisely this fragmentation that makes Soave such a remarkably diverse territory: not a single wine, but many interpretations of Garganega and the Veronese hills.

In younger wines, freshness, flowers, fruit and immediacy prevail. In Soave from the finest vineyards and allowed to evolve, time reveals a deeper dimension: notes of herbs, ripe citrus, yellow fruit, stone and mineral nuances come together in wines capable of developing complexity even after several years. Perhaps time itself is one of the best ways to understand great Soave: wines that may appear delicate in their youth can reveal surprising depth and longevity as they evolve.

Colli Berici: stone, sunshine and great red wines

Leaving the Verona area and moving towards Vicenza, the landscape changes. The Colli Berici rise from the Vicenza plain like an island of hills. Their contours are gentler, the climate is generally warmer, and Mediterranean vegetation grows alongside woods, olive groves and vineyards. Venetian villas, small villages and ancient rural courtyards bear witness to a history in which agriculture and culture have shaped the landscape together.

Here too, geology plays a fundamental role in defining the identity of the wines. The Colli Berici are predominantly limestone and sedimentary in origin, formed from ancient seabeds, with traces of volcanic activity in certain areas. Limestone rock, clay and stony soils create particularly favourable conditions for vines, while the exposure of the hills and relatively mild climate allow the grapes to ripen fully and evenly.

If Soave finds its most distinctive voice in Garganega, the Colli Berici show a particular vocation for red wines. The symbolic grape variety is Tai Rosso, historically rooted especially in the area around Barbarano and the southern Berici. It is capable of producing fragrant, spicy and highly drinkable wines, where red fruit is often accompanied by Mediterranean herbs and a delicately savoury character.

Alongside Tai Rosso, the Colli Berici have shown a particular affinity over time with varieties such as Carmenère, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The climate, exposures and limestone-clay soils allow these grapes to achieve full ripeness while maintaining balance, producing wines capable of combining structure, elegance and longevity. Carmenère, long mistaken for Cabernet Franc in local vineyards, has also found one of its most interesting Italian expressions in the Colli Berici.

Two territories, two ways of expressing Veneto

Soave and the Colli Berici are separated by just a few kilometres of plain, yet they reveal two profoundly different expressions of Veneto viticulture. In Soave, Garganega, ancient volcanic soils, altitude and the tension of great white wines dominate. In the Colli Berici, the landscape becomes warmer and more Mediterranean, limestone plays a central role, and it is above all the red wines that find depth and character.

On one side are the hills of Monteforte d'Alpone and Soave, with their contrade and vineyards rooted in ancient volcanic rock. On the other are the hills of Vicenza, where limestone, clay, woods and vineyards overlook the surrounding plain. What unites them is an ancient agricultural culture, built on families, vineyards handed down through generations, observation of the seasons and an intimate knowledge of individual plots.

Today, these territories are experiencing a new chapter. More and more producers are bringing vineyards, biodiversity, soil identity and the distinctive character of individual areas back to the centre of their work, seeking not only quality in their wines but an increasingly precise relationship with the place they come from. Because the deepest value of these territories lies not simply in their ability to produce great wines. It lies in the possibility of recognising, in a glass, the very hill from which that wine comes.

The basalt and Garganega of Soave. The limestone, sunshine and red wines of the Colli Berici. Two landscapes, two identities, two different ways of expressing through wine the extraordinary diversity of Veneto.

Tenuta Do Leoni is nestled on the hill of Bugano, in the Riviera Berica near Vicenza, at the beginning of the Colli Berici in the province of Vicenza, in North-East Italy, a highly renowned wine-growing area. It is a contemporary wine project born from the desire to bring new life to a family-owned land preserved for generations. Here, wine is not just agricultural production, but the result of a journey shaped by memory, research, and responsibility towards the landscape. At the helm of the estate are Giovanni and Federica, who chose to transform a long-abandoned area into a regenerated agricultural ecosystem. The name Do Leoni reflects this shared vision: a family business looking towards the future without losing its connection to its roots, passing on to new generations the value of the land and its care. The wine project develops with an agroecological and sustainable approach, based on farming practices that respect soil fertility and biodiversity. Soil preparation, forest restoration, and the introduction of green manure crops have been key steps in creating a vineyard fully integrated into the landscape of the Colli Berici.

A defining 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 intervention in the vineyard and supports a more conscious form of viticulture, focused on ecosystem protection and wine quality. The term PIWI comes from the German pilzwiderstandsfähig (“fungus-resistant”) and identifies a new generation of vines capable of combining expressive character with agricultural sustainability. The Bugano area, with its red clay soils and marine-origin limestone rocks, offers ideal conditions for producing wines with strong personality. A landscape already known in past centuries for the quality of its grapes, as evidenced by historical accounts and travelers’ stories describing these hills during harvest time. In this context comes LA PRIMA, the estate’s first wine: a pure Souvignier Gris, initially produced in a micro-batch of just 330 hand-numbered bottles. A wine that marks the beginning of a winemaking journey focused on precision and on enhancing the varietal’s potential. Its golden color with copper reflections, citrus aromas, and notes of exotic fruit are supported by a fresh palate and a pronounced mineral character.

Alongside Souvignier Gris, the project dedicated to Prior is growing—a PIWI red grape variety deeply rooted in the estate’s soils and representing the future of production. Its evolution requires time and patience, essential elements in a viticulture that respects natural rhythms and prioritizes quality over speed. Tenuta Do Leoni is also a place of relationships and cultural exchange. The project has developed in dialogue with Berardo Da Schio, an agronomist and advocate of contemporary sustainable agriculture, sharing the goal of enhancing the territory while fully respecting environmental balance. From this blend of expertise, friendship, and vision emerges a model of viticulture that interprets wine as an expression of the landscape and a responsibility towards the future. In every bottle, one finds the idea of a form of agriculture that listens to the land, values biodiversity, and transforms 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 Colli Berici, where varietal innovation and territorial memory come together to create distinctive, contemporary wines.