valpolicella

My friend and member of Ad Maiora, Susanna, organized a trip to the Valpolicella last Friday afternoon.

our drivers!

meeting at the bridge

Before arriving at our final destination, we stopped along the way to visit private villas that have vineyards.

vineyards in the background

Cherry trees were planted at each end of the rows of vines instead of wooden poles in order to hold the wires for the vines. While the grapes were growing, they were able to harvest the cherries. A rose bush is planted at the beginning of each row to alert the growers if there is a problem. The rose bush will show signs of distress before the vines will.

a table set for lunch

We arrived at Azienda Agricola Bonazzi, www.bonazzivalpolicellawine.it, for a tour and lunch.

our tour guide! he gave us a tour of his winery that is family run
and has been for many generations. 

his father prepares the lunch for us

We tasted 5 different kinds of wine made at this winery.

opening bottles for the wine tasting

We tasted prize-winning wines; amarone, ripasso, a sweet red and a white passito made in honour of Anastasia Romanov, who lived in the area after she escaped from Russia. The grandfather knew her.

lunch time

home made salami, monte veronese cheese served with honey, artichokes, bread

group shot with all our bottles!

art