In the wine world there is unavoidably a typical way that must be respected, followed, also interpreted with personality but without betraying the more positive spirit. And then there is experimentation, which often is expressed mainly in small niche-productions aimed to stimulate the attention of the particularly curious palates. These two different visions have found a way to cohabit in La Guarda: because this little winery in Castrezzone di Muscoline, on the Brescia side of the Garda Riviera, was able to actually get some fame thanks to daring but successful ideas suche as the Groppello Chinato “Inchino” (or Bow), but at the same time is confirmed as an outpost of the tradition most closely linked to the Garda territory through the production of more traditional types such as Chiaretto and Groppello based reds, which of course are the core business.
We may define La Guarda as a border winery, situated to the extreme edge of the Valtenesi, in a hilly hinterland with a unique view: the characteristics of the magnificent panorama which you can enjoy once you climb on the hill of Monte Cassone is echoed in the name of the company (which could be translated as The View), which also refers to the nearby Monte Guarda. We are here on one of the higher vineyards in Valtènesi, where in 1970 arrived the Milan-born Angelo Negri, already active in the peripheral belt of Milan with a commercial winery. Today La Guarda is run by his son Luigi, who worked there since 1988: a reality of 20 hectares in total, of which 11 are vineyards, mostly grouped on the estate around the winery, and the rest located in the nearby town of Polpenazze.
“The predominant grape is naturally Groppello – explains Gigi Negri -. The plants are of varying ages: there are vineyards that date back to the early ’70s and today are perhaps among the oldest still in production in the province of Brescia, while the rest has been gradually renovated over time because every year i replant small portions of vineyard. ”
A particular geomorphological context, for a production of about 30,000 bottles divided into a range of up to 7 labels: Valtènesi Doc, Valtènesi Chiaretto and Groppello Garda Classico represent more than half of a line enhanced by a Marzemino, two sparkling wines Charmat method (the Spumante 105 in Rosé and Blanc) and by those particular labels. Not only the aforementioned “Inchimo”, but also the “Sabbioso”, a red IGT Benaco Bresciano.
“It ‘a 100% Sangiovese – explains Negri-. Not exactly something that is found everywhere in our country: we have decided to produce it years ago as we were able to ascertain that on our hill one of the most representative varieties of the national wine scene was expressed in a really special and positive way, of course if treated with due care. Sabbioso is then produced only in good years from Sangiovese grapes harvested in slightly forwarded ripening: we follow a traditional winemaking process and then after a couple of years we proceed to an aging in oak barrels of 500 liter, where it remains even for 18-24 months depending on the year and then make a further 6 months in the bottle. We are currently out with 2009 “.
La Guarda is a company that focuses on direct sales, especially for tourists, as well as events in the cellar.
“I’ve been working many years now with several hotels offering a guided tour of our winery – says Negri -. We conduct tastings in a simple but addictive way, so that the visitor will take home not only bottles but also the memory of the place and the welcome received. In recent years this way of promoting and selling has become very important to us thanks to events organized by Consortiums or other associations such as the Wine Tourism Movement. We’ve been participating for 23 years to the event Cantine Aperte, from which the whole concept of wine tourism started: and then this has become a central parte of our business as we believe that for a company like ours it’s essential to try to intercept the interests of those eight million visitors who each year come to discover the Brescia side of Lake Garda and its products. ”
The direct visits to the cellar have also produced contacts that are bringing La Guarda wines abroad. “We are significantly increasing exports to Germany and the Netherlands, and recently we have begun to sell well in England, but this always and only thanks to people who were on holiday in our area, came to visit the winery and decided to import them in their own countries. ”
The bottle.
As mentioned, the range of La Guarda is characterized as much for the wines of the tradition ad for the goodies like the well-established Groppello Chinato Inchino, which has been produced for eight years now but continues to be a unique experience in the area, as well as one of the more extreme interpretations which has undergone the indigenous variety of Valtènesi.
“The idea came to me after the taste of a Barolo Chinato which literally blew me away – explains Luigi Negri -. I wanted to try to experiment with something that no one had experienced in the area before to produce a wine to dedicate to my father, and then I tried to see if the Groppello could lend itself to the same process. After countless tests carried out in collaboration with a distillery, of course Piedmontese, I decided that the results were convincing enough to try. ”
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