Massimo+Arianna=Masari

A small family winery in the Agno Valley, Masari is a project based on knowledge of the land, grapes and technique. 

I had a similar feeling when making the acquaintance of Masari wines. Massimo Dal Lago and Arianna Tessari are based in Valdagno (VI) in the Agno Valley, that part of the province of Vicenza just a stone's throw from Verona, where I am based. They are practically my "neighbors," and I admit I didn't know them. In this valley that you happen to tell really rarely when talking about Veneto wine, they have given birth to Masari. A project born in all respects from the union of Massimo (Mas-), winemaker, and Arianna (-Ari), whose family has deep roots in viticulture. 

Ten hectares, all in the hills, about 50 thousand bottles a year. Divided between red references, from international varieties, and white, with Durella, an indigenous white grape sharing the scene with Garganega, unfailing, and a surprising Riesling Renano. Among the reds we have Cabernet, Merlot and Pinot Noir. The varieties are distributed on the two hillsides of the valley, the White Coast and the Black Coast. As custodians of the land, Massimo and Arianna, immediately dedicated themselves to studying the soils, identifying on one slope a prevalence of limestone soils, calcarenites and marine-type marls. Predominantly red grape varieties have a home here. The Black Coast is typically volcanic; here, on the other hand, white grapes are at their best, with, however, also some Pinot Noir, Cabernet and Merlot. The valley, being traced by two streams and rich in clay soils, is supplied with a natural water supply. Ensuring proper ripening of the grapes is the temperature range between day and night, aided by the presence of the Vicentine Pre-Alps behind the valley. Cold winds descend from the mountains, funnel into the Valley and lower temperatures at night. Thanks to these aspects, the Agno Valley has all the appearance of a green lung, sparsely anthropized in the hills and rich in biodiversity. An attraction too strong for Arianna and Massimo who, as fearless explorers (as they like to call themselves), wanted to bring their project to life here.

Masari makes its first vintage in 1998. Today, certified organic, she produces a Lessini Durello Metodo Classico from the Durella grape, Leon. A white, Agnobianco, from Riesling Renano and Durella, which, for the record, is the wine that electrocuted me in getting to know the winery. Two Pinot Noirs from white soils and black soils respectively, the San Lorenzo and the Costa Nera. The San Martino blend from black soils, from Cabernet and Merlot. The Merlot MM, Montepulgo and, I keep last among the reds, the Masari, named after the winery, the first wine produced today soon to be released with the 2018 vintage, again from Cabernet and Merlot.

Also playing a starring role for the winery are the sweet raisin wines. It is a good norm and rule, Veneto but not only, that a passito wine is always there and pops up on the best occasions. For Masari, the finale in sweetness is also double: Doro, a passito from Durella and Garganega, and Antico Pasquale, from pure Durella. The latter a true act of courage, the result of persistence and a lot of feeling on the part of those who produce it. The Durella, with its naturally tenacious and crisp skin, rich in acidity and tannins, is dried for a long time and then fermented with the skins and rested in wooden barrels for a minimum of 5 years. In some respects a Vino Santo, in others a gamble, an act of daring and persistence. A wine that says so much about its producer because such a result, in my opinion, can only be achieved if one has three things: knowledge of the territory (and its climate), of the grape raw material (and what it is or is not suited for) and of the technique (which must not only be applied but also accompanied).

Quite an acquaintance indeed with Masari, whose wines convince with integrity, authenticity and tell a story, that of Massimo and Arianna that will one day continue in the hands of Giovanni, Camilla and Matteo. And to think ... I had them right behind my house, too bad I didn't meet them sooner!

• Masari, Valle d’Agno Agnobianco 2021
• Masari, Valle d’Agno Masari 2018
• Masari, Valle d’Agno Antico Pasquale 2011

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