Sergio Zenato

From seven hectares on Lake Garda to one of Northern Italy's most famous names

The history of Zenato begins in 1960, when Sergio Zenato founded a small winery with seven hectares of vineyards in Peschiera del Garda, in the heart of the Lugana zone on the southern shore of Lake Garda. From the beginning, his interest lay in the region's native grape varieties — especially Trebbiano di Lugana, to which he attributed a potential that hardly anyone saw at the time. Sergio Zenato is now considered one of the pioneers who significantly contributed to establishing Lugana as an independent DOC region. The expansion into Valpolicella soon followed: the Costalunga winery in Sant'Ambrogio became the company's second home and the starting point for the house's great red wines. After Sergio's death, his wife Carla and their children Alberto and Nadia Zenato took over the management. Today, Alberto is responsible for production, and Nadia for international sales — the company supplies over 60 countries worldwide.

Two terroirs, one signature: Moraine hills, drying cellars, and oak wood

Zenato now manages 95 hectares of vineyards, divided into two clearly defined sites: the Tenuta Santa Cristina in San Benedetto di Lugana and the Tenuta Costalunga in Valpolicella Classica. The Lugana soils are clayey-loamy and originated from moraine deposits of Lake Garda — a heavy, mineral-rich substrate that gives Trebbiano di Lugana structure and depth. In Valpolicella, Corvina, Rondinella, and Oseleta grow on the calcareous ground of the classic zone. For the great red wines, Zenato relies on appassimento: the grapes are stored in special drying cellars after the harvest before they are fermented — this is how the concentrated aromas that characterize Amarone are created. Aging and cellar work are oriented toward the aging capacity of each wine: Lugana and Bardolino mature in steel tanks to preserve freshness; the Amarone Riserva spends four years in large barrels made of Slovenian oak.

Lugana and Amarone as two poles of a clear style

Zenato's assortment spans a wide arc — from crisp lakeside white wines to long-lived appassimento red wines — but remains stylistically coherent. The Lugana San Benedetto stands for mineral precision with citrus and herbs; the Riserva Sergio Zenato, aged on the Podere Massoni plot, shows what Trebbiano di Lugana can achieve with bottle aging: more volume, spice, long finish. On the red side, the Amarone della Valpolicella Classico marks the core of the house — dense, deep-colored, with the characteristic interplay between dark fruit, tobacco, and the bitterness of dried peels. Those looking for an initial entry into Valpolicella will find it in the Bardolino or the Alanera Rosso Veronese, a blend of partially dried autochthonous varieties with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from the Costalunga domain. The Zenato family also holds a membership in the Famiglie dell'Amarone d'Arte, the association of historical Amarone producers of Valpolicella — proof of the standing the winery has earned over six decades.