GIOVANNI EDERLE

Giovanni Ederle was born on the 30 January 1987 in Negrar in Valpolicella. He has spent his life in the hills of San Mattia in the lee of the centre of Verona living with his sister Camilla as they grew up carefree and wild among the vineyards, olive groves, and horses.

After leaving school Giovanni enrolled at the faculty of Oenology and Viticulture Science and Technology at the University of Verona but without obtaining a degree since the farming work intervened and time to study disappeared.
He decided to start this project when he was only 18, ambitious and just a little irresponsible. He uprooted the old unrecoverable vineyard, planted new vine cuttings and shoots and helped them grow during the following two years by himself. The first small experimental harvest was stored in the newly re-organised agritourism garage in 2008.

Today Giovanni explains that when he looks at the bottles of his wine, he sees the old vineyard, the young vine cuttings and shoots, the first grapes harvested, the pressing machines, the tanks, the press, the wooden barrels, the bottling, and the labelling.

I see my work, the toil, the friends who have helped me, the experience they have passed on to me, and the patience with which they have supported me.
The feeling I get when I reflect like this is a great thrill all down my spine that affects my soul deeply and gives me great energy, the same energy I feel during tastings when I talk about my wines and I realise that the wines really speak of me and this wonderful land where we stand. This energy is what I want and is one of the two reasons why I am a vine grower. The second reason is that agriculture means I can preserve my land for the future, continuing to cultivate the awkward terraced fields, re-organise the old dry stone walls, and replant the old varieties from this area.”