A fascinating journey to Valtènesi through wine, here where Rosé is not a fashion but rather a tradition.
It is the Garda Mood, an attitude, a lifestyle, a story that begins millions of years ago and is forever tinged with permanet Rosé, the color of calm, serenity, innate elegance and the deepest and most sincere kind of love. It is the Pink Mood, linked to optimism that soothes the mind from negative thoughts, and helps to take life with a little lightness and a smile on the lips even in the most difficult moments, always with a positive attitude.
Pink symbolizes the ability to give and receive love, to open up to others in a balanced and sincere way, the clarity of reason, the sweet and never vulgar sensuality, and when you think about it, it is no coincidence that Chiaretto springs up from a beautiful story brushed up with shades of pink, the love story of Pompeo Molmenti and Amalia Brunati. It is in fact out of love that Molmenti, a gentleman from Venice, moved to Moniga del Garda, and was forever mesmerized by the magic spell of the lake. A magic place shaped in millions of years by glaciers, nature and time. The morphology of the moraine hills sloping towards the lake is gentle and with delicate lines; the sub-Mediterranean climate gives mild winters and temperate summers, biodiversity here is the rule to perfect harmony. Time flows smoothly and shapes patterns, colors and fragrances according to the seasons, but the mood in Valtènesi always remains true to itself and is tinged with a thousand shades of pink.
Molmenti fell in love with all this, so much so that he felt the urge to find a way to tell his story and that of these places with a very personal style; and having received as a dowry some 37 acres of vineyards, why not try it with a glass of wine? On the other hand, as writer Giovanni Franceschini tells us, “Pompeo Molmenti’s hospitality was prodigal and affectionate, and his guests never lacked anything, including the frank wine of his Moniga”.
For the story to be intense, engaging and authentic, its ingredients must be first and foremost authentic themselves, therefore the choice must fall on the grape varieties that have found their ideal home here: Barbera, Sangiovese, Marzemino but above all the native Groppello.
Groppello is another unequivocal testimony that Nature is knows better and never fails; in fact, it is a variety that gives smooth, extremely fine and elegant wines. It owes its name to the compact shape of its bunch, similar to a “groppo” which in the local dialect means “knot”. If you want to associate it mentally with something more familiar, think of the style and elegance of pinot noir; if you want to associate it with itself, as it should be, think about the Garda Mood, and you’ll find that it is indeed the perfect grape in the perfect place! No, Nature never fails!
And since Nature never makes mistakes, the people here have had the common sense and foresight to indulge her, enhancing her precious gifts and creating something that could bring this message of beauty and serenity far beyond the geographical boundaries of this little Mediterranean of the Alps: this is how and why Chiaretto was created, the Rosa Valtènesi as we like to call it here, which tells the story of these places in an engaging tale that is explained with artistic grace sip after sip. After all, why change and risk distorting and trivializing, perhaps chasing the homologation imposed by the markets, when you have everything you need to differentiate yourself with pride? This is what Molmenti knew and what Alessandro Luzzago, President of Consorzio Valtènesi, his worthy heir and guardian of his dream, told us. There is no way for me to describe and convey the love in his eyes as he spoke about his Vineyards, his Wine, and his Land.
Visionary and far-sighted like his illustrious predecessor, Alessandro has been leading the Consortium for several years now; to him the motto is “let’s team up” on the road to cohesion, authenticity and tradition, on a virtuous path of cultural growth that enhances the history and the authentic soul of Rosé wines. And if it is true that within the Consortium unity is a strength point, why not bring the same concept to national level? And so, inspired by the Centre du Rosé in Provence, with which the Consortium has been collaborating for years, the “Istituto del Vino Rosa Italiano” was created, uniting six Appelations of great Italian Rosé wines: Chiaretto di Bardolino, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, Castel del Monte and Salice Salentino della Puglia and the Cirò della Calabria.
Pompeo Molmenti was the man who wrote a never-ending story inspired by what Lake Garda has to offer spontaneously, without frills and superstructures of any kind. Sometimes it takes very simple things to create an authentic story that can get to the heart and stay there forever. His genius lies in the fact that he has chosen to entrust his story to wine, creating a unique product that contains in the chalice all the magical essence of this place. Come to Valténesi and find out for yourself! His story is written all over every year through the wise and skilled hands of all the winemakers of Valtènesi, creating a pink wave that takes it far away, in thousands of sparkling glasses, to remind everyone that life should always be taken with a little bit of lightness and a smile on the lips.
Make your life better with a stroke of pink!