Arturo Stocchetti was born and grew up in Soave, where he has always had a great passion for his homeland, which is host to Soave white wine, renowned for its youthful and mineral-like flavours. Arturo has been making wine since the eighties, where he guided by two fundamental beliefs: preserving the typical character and local traditions are of utmost importance to making excellent wines, whether he is attending to vines in the vineyard or bottling the wines themselves.
Legend has it that the tunnel located underneath the palace was once used as a secret passageway to the castle itself. Indeed, this is why the winery is known as Cantina del Castello, meaning: the Castle Winery. Today it is possible to visit the entrance to the tunnel in one of the old cellars, where the delicious sweet Recioto wine is left to mature.
“The winery is where the grapes, which are lovingly cared for in the vineyards, are transformed into wine.”
In the Soave Classico area, the hills contain dark volcanic soil, which is where Arturo’s Garganega and Trebbiano di Soave vines thrive. The changing of the seasons dictates the pace of work in the vineyards. From pruning to picking, a time-honoured tacit agreement is forged between nature and experience. The company uses Arturo’s hand-picked Garganega and Trebbiano di Soave grapes that grow on 13 hectares of vineyards on the hills of the Classico area behind Soave. In autumn, it is fascinating to contemplate the ripe golden grapes against a backdrop of the dark hues of the volcanic soil. On average, the winery produces one hundred and thirty thousand bottles divided into the different wines that are typical of the Soave Classico area: Brut di Soave Classico, Soave Classico, Cru di Soave Classico, Recioto di Soave Classico and Grappa di vinacce di Recioto. From the very beginning, the Cantina del Castello has produced a small quantity of two typical red wines associated with the neighbouring Valpolicella area: Amarone and Ripasso. Long-standing experience and precision are the keys to producing these excellent traditional red wines. The winery embodies the perfect symbiosis between tradition, which oozes from the very walls of the building, and modern technology used in winemaking itself.