Leaf through the pages of a book like turn dozens of old vintages in the glass

What if leaf through the pages of a book was like turn dozens of old vintages in the glass? The parallelism between wineries and libraries is certainly not new, and the idea that old bottles tell the story and evolution of a company better than anything else is more relevant than ever. After all, uncorking old vintages is a bit like consulting the dusty historical archive of a library. And it is precisely from the meeting of these two narrative forms, one liquid and the other graphic, that “The Library” is born, the monograph that tells the heritage of historical vintages of Bertani's Amarone of Valpolicella Classico, kept in the cellar of Grezzana since 1958, almost a century after its birth, which dates back to 1857, while in 2011 the historic winery founded by the brothers Giovan Battista and Gaetano Bertani passed under the control of Angelini Industries.

A library, precisely, of 48 years spanning six decades, starting from the first on the market to 2013, which will be released on the market in December 2023. Of these, 43 are selected by Nick Jackson, Master of Wine, ex buyer of Sotheby’s, a great expert in fine wines, and author of “The Library”, the story of how Bertani’s style, over the decades, has been able to maintain its unmistakable identity. The narrative describes how the company has retained a firm personality regardless of climate, wine and trend changes.

The tasting highlighted both the differences between the individual vintages and the elements of recognition that have a common thread that connects what we are with what we were. The team of tasters has defined a classification that reflects the individuality of the wines: the vintages have been divided into four categories that express a distinctive character: exuberance, delicacy, harmony and finesse. A work that recalls how Bertani is a company capable of maintaining its roots over time.

“We were already thinking about this monograph since 2018, then the pandemic slowed down its realization. It is conceived as a dynamic, lively work, capable of photographing the modernity of a wine that always remains true to itself, so much so that it is universally recognized for its elegance. Bertani is like a shop, capable of welcoming change without betraying its uniqueness, and “The Library” is an instrument conceived to orientate oneself in the history of Amarone, which looks both inside and outside, among those enthusiasts and professionals who have a library of old vintages at home, in the restaurant or in the wine shop. Which, it is important to underline it, are almost all available for purchase (27 of the 43 narrated by Nick Jackson). It is a first work, which will be updated cyclically, perhaps changing perspective and point of view, in order to always have a contemporary and complete view of the old vintages of Bertani’s Amarone of Valpolicella Classico”, comments to WineNews, Andrea Lonardi, CEO of Angelini Wines & Estates (and next Italian Master of Wine, ed).