Masi: Serego Alighieri wines (Dante’s descendant) and Vineyard Brands conquer the US

The long winemaking and cultural tradition, dating back over 650 years ago, is located on a property in the heart of the Valpolicella Classica territory, which has always belonged to the Counts Serego Alighieri, 21 generations of Dante’s descendants. In 1353, the son of the Divine Poet, Pietro Alighieri, bought the villa and land in Casal dei Ronchi in Gargagnago. His descendants produce the most famous Venetian wines on 120 hectares of vineyards on one of the largest properties in the area, starting from Amarone. Vaio Armaron is one of the 10 most prestigious wines in the world, according to “Wine Spectator”, alongside Valpolicella and Recioto.
The Serego Alighieri brand wines also express an important “feeling” of Italian history, as they have been produced for centuries on the property of the noble family of the father of the Italian language and of our identity. 2021 is the year when Italy will celebrate 700 years after the death of the Divine Poet. Masi Agricola aims to strengthen positioning and distribution in the USA, the number 1 market for Italian wine, thanks to the charm of the stories it tells, together with the new importer Vineyard Brands (starting January 1, 2021 ed.). Vineyard Brands specializes in premium and ultra premium wines, and distributes fine wines all over the US, more than 85 brands of the most prestigious, including over 25 châteaus in Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne, such as Château Petrus, Champagne Delamotte and Château Miraval.
The story of Serego Alighieri is linked to that of the illustrious poet Dante Alighieri, whose son, Pietro, followed his father into exile and after the death of the poet decided to remain in Verona, never returning to Florence. Pietro was a magistrate by profession, and purchased the land in the mid-fourteenth century in Valpolicella. Since then and to today, wine production and sustainable viticulture have continued in the vineyards located in the prestigious semi-valley of Gargagnago and the surrounding hills. The native grapes of Valpolicella boast three historic and famous single vineyard - Casal dei Ronchi, Vaio Armaron and MontePiazzo - and the use of the “Molinara Serego Alighieri” clone of grapes, which the family jealously kept, guarding a few vines planted inside the courtyard of the villa in 1875 that survived the phylloxera disease. The story, starting from the 1970s, is also linked to the Masi Group that the Counts of Serego Alighieri began to collaborate with in a strategy that later became a real joint venture of technical support and distribution.
“Thanks to Vineyard Brands’ consolidated expertise and focus only on premium and ultra-premium wines, we will be able to strengthen positioning and develop the penetration of the Serego Alighieri brand on the American market”, explained Federico Girotto, CEO of Masi Agricola, company listed in AIM Italia and leading Amarone producer, “by planned, precise and methodic segmentation work”. “It is a great privilege to represent a historic and fascinating château like Serego Alighieri”, said Gregory Doody, president and CEO of Vineyard Brands, “sharing its rich traditions, from which unique and exceptional stories and wines originate”.