The Campofiorin Technique

Campofiorin was born thanks to an idea that was both simple and ingenious at the same time: refermenting wine made from freshly picked indigenous Veronese grapes on the semi-dried pomace of the same varieties previously used for the vinification of Amarone. This was the birth of Ripasso, a concept that was immediately described by Englishman Hugh Johnson, one of the world's leading wine experts, as an 'ingenious technique'. It was Burton Anderson, the American writer and one of the greatest authorities on Italian wine, who described Campofiorin as 'a wine of stupendous size and complexity, a prototype for a new style of Veronese red wine inspired by the technique of Amarone'.

In the search for maximum drinkability and balance in the wine, Masi then refined the original technique in the 1980s, evolving it into the 'double fermentation' process used to produce modern Campofiorin. The wine is made from freshly vinified Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara grapes which is then refermented with 30% of whole, semi-dried grapes of the same varieties, not used for the production of Amarone. The result is a greater richness of colour, extracts, aromas and perfumes, as well as an increase in alcohol, combined with softer and more refined tannins.

"Campofiorin is a living wine, evolving from and even exceeding the intentions of its custodians. It is a unit of measurement in itself, a story that starts in the Italy of the day before yesterday using a blend of intuition, classicism, and innovatory new technique. Success was immediate in 1964, and the wine has now conquered dozens of countries and become a reference point for those who seek freshness combined with complexity,' wrote Luciano Ferraro, editor-in-chief of Corriere della Sera (2014).

THE GRAPES

CORVINA

A native variety of high standing thanks to its preponderance in the blend of grapes used for Amarone and other Veronese reds. Provides body and delicate aromas, purple in colour with a characteristic bouquet of ripe cherries. Light attacks of noble rot during the process of Appassimento increase the glycerine content of the wine and bring out the flavours of sour cherries and cherries in spirit with slight hints of hazelnuts.

RONDINELLA
An indigenous Veronese grape variety that gives the wine tannic structure, intense colour and a refined nose. Appassimento makes the colour deeper and the tannins softer.

MOLINARA
An indigenous Veronese grape variety that provides freshness, acidity and a pronounced spiciness which Appassimento enriches with hints of black pepper.