The soils in Veneto are rocky and majorly made up of alluvial soils. The region enjoys a protection from the harsh northern European climate by its location at the foothills of the Alps. The Adriatic coastal plains and river valleys are where Valpolicella, Amarone and Bardolino reds are produced. The soils are rocky, stony, pebbly and composed with alluvial based on chalk or volcanic origins, providing ideal conditions for growing the local grapes.

Monte Dei Roari is run by Alessia and Stefano Bertaiola. This 10 hectares estate, just outside of Verona, 5km south of Lake Garda, is a collection of small parcels on calcareous and iron-rich clay soils of morainic origin. Alessia’s background is in agricultural research and development, so she is only too aware of the amount of chemicals used in conventional viticulture. Taking over the Monte Dei Roari estate, she painstakingly converted each plot to Organic and Biodynamic farming over the last decade.