Masi wine experience with tasting of Amarone in Valpolicella

Masi is a leading producer of Amarone known best for "interpreting Venetian values with passion."

The story of Masi begins at the end of the 18th century when the Boscaini Family acquired its first fruitful vineyards in the small "Vaio dei Masi" valley in the heart of the Valpolicella Classica region. For over 40 years, the family has worked on an ambitious project aimed at rediscovering the luster of the farming and winemaking traditions of the nobility from the Venetian area in collaboration with local counts: the Counts of Serego Alighieri, descendants of the poet Dante and owners of the farmstead that can boast the longest history and tradition in Valpolicella and the Counts of Bossi Fedrigotti, who have always made wine with passion and skill in Trentino. In addition to these vineyards, Masi has its organic Poderi del Bello Ovile in Tuscany and Masi Tupungato in Argentina.

Masi is known for its expertise in the Appassimento technique, which is traditionally used in Venetian regions since the era of the Roman Empire to concentrate aromas, colors and tastes in a wine - this technique has been innovated by Gruppo Tecnico Masi over the past 50 years. It is one of the historical pioneers of the Amarone because since 1772, it has had bountiful vineyards and top-quality Appasimento at its disposition in the Valpolicella region. It was the first winery to introduce the concept of cru or "single vineyard" wines to the Valpolicella region in the 1950's. At the beginning of the 80's, the Gruppo Tecnico Masi revolutionized the art of producing Amarone, making it a modern yet traditional wine.

Among its recent recognition, the Vaio Armaron Serego Alighieri 2008 was decreed by the Wine Spectator to be one of the 10 best wines in the world and was celebrated at the 2016 New York Wine Experience.

With 96 and 95 points from the Wine Advocate for its Amaroni cru Mazzano and Campolongo, it is easily seen that the Costasera is the most world-renowned Amarone, first place in popularity according to the Wine Searcher. In addition, Masi was the first Venetian winery asked to conduct a tasting plenary session for the Wine Experience of Wine Spectator, where in 2014, four decades of Amaroni Masi, belonging to the private Boscaini Winery, were tasted - a unique collection of renowned wine, esteemed Cru and exquisite Amarone vintage.

Masi's mission and technique make it one of the most elite winemaking enterprises in the Venetian region, producing products that express the style, characteristics and values of the area. This makes it an ambassador for its region on both a national and international level. As such, the company is proud to be a founding member of various associations that promote the iconic brands of "made in Italy" around the world. In particular, it has contributed to rewriting the story of Appassimento, creating a new category of Venetian wines with the Campofiorin and a modern style of Amarone that has won international recognition. Furthermore, Masi has also been a pioneer in the recuperation of the use of the precious but less known veronesi grape - in primis l'Oseleta.

The experience offered to the visitors includes a visit to the fruttaio (grape-drying facility) where the Appasimento, a technique for which Masi is known worldwide, takes place. Then, the visitors take a tour of the winery, one of the largest in Italy, including the experimental winery where the Gruppo Tecnico Masi tests out and compares the most innovative and refined winemaking technologies.

The tour will continue on the Possessioni Sergio Alighieri property, belonging to the direct descendants of the poet Dante (1353). This visit, a dive into the history of the noble family of Serego Alighieri from the region of Valpolicella, includes a walk through the garden and vineyards on this land. The visit to this historic winery is full of the aromas of cherry wood casks, following the tradition of the family for the proper fruit-drying and Appassimento technique. The experience concludes with a tasting of a selection of esteemed wines.

Masi Experience – 120 minutes

Visit the Masi Winery and vineyards of Serego Alighieri with a tasting of four wines (Valpolicella Bonacosta, Brolo Campofiorin oro, Amarone Vaio Armaron and Recioto Casal dei Ronchi).