Corte Sant Alda

The Corte Sant Alda winery is located in a beautiful, mountainous landscape northeast of Verona in the Veneto region.

It is a member of Demeter, an association for biodynamic agriculture, and VinNatur, an association for "naturally" producing wineries.

left: A relief in front of the Corte Sant Alda winery, symbolizing good food and good wine.

Excellent biodynamic wines from Denominazion Valpolicella are produced here, including the Amarone wines from Corte Sant Alda, which are known for their absolute top quality

Mariella Camerani, the winemaker was neither born on a vineyard, nor did she grow up on a vineyard. It was only after her father bought the property in Mezzane di Sotto, which also included vineyards, as a holiday and weekend home, that she became interested in viticulture. She named her farm after the name of her first-born daughter, not knowing that two more daughters (Federica and Bianca) would follow. As a career changer, she went her own way right from the start, without having to completely renounce the advice of befriended winemakers or experts. She is supported by Cesar, her Peruvian husband, who is responsible for the agricultural work in the vineyards, and by her daughters, as well as some permanent employees. During the grape harvest, the same experienced harvest workers are always available.

We got to know Marinella Camerani as a down-to-earth, modest and self-confident woman who lends a hand in all of the work. We were able to personally convince ourselves of this on a Sunday afternoon, although we didn't want to visit Corte Sant Alda until Monday. After a long drive we reach our booked accommodation in the neighboring village. It was the end of September and so we set out to hike through the vineyards in wonderful weather. We came through a courtyard where freshly harvested grapes were delivered and loaded onto a conveyor belt by a woman and checked by a very young girl. While we said hello and exchanged a few words, it turned out that we were dealing with Marinella Camerani and her daughter Bianca. We looked at the workflow for a while and continued our hike to meet our actual appointment at Corte Sant Alda the next day.

Photo left: Bianca Camerani

Despite all the work, we perceived a friendly and open atmosphere, with all family members and a larger team of harvest workers working hand in hand. The process was well thought out, the cellar furnishings up-to-date and in perfect, hygienic condition.

Finally, a tasting of all the convincing organic wines produced on Corte Sant Alda followed. The decision to include them in our range was unanimous, which is not always the case otherwise. The success of Marinella Camerani's work was felt in a clear aroma and a purity of the wines that left no doubt. Numerous awards and diplomas for her Ursula_Hartl_bei_Corte_Sant_Alda organic wines on the walls of the tasting room, for which the winemaker almost apologized by pointing out that visitors from Japan and China attach great importance to them.

Such awards are not so important to us, but of course we also point them out. For customers, this is after all a confirmation that the wines not only appeal to us, but have also been rated well by others.

Photo: Ursula Hartl at Corte Sant Alda

We would have liked to have taken part in the joint lunch with the entire harvest team to which we were invited, but the return journey to Tübingen that lay ahead of us left us no   more time for that, which is a shame.        

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Corte Sant Alda - young vines are planted here