Chardonnay Veneto IGT “C” 2023 – Alpha Zeta

The grapes to produce the Chardonnay Veneto IGT “C” Alpha Zeta were hand harvested, destemmed, crushed, and chilled on the way to the press with no sulphur addition. The whole clusters were gently pressed with a pneumatic press and the juice was naturally settled. After racking, cultured yeasts were added to start fermentation, which took place at 12°-14°C in 1200HL stainless steel tanks. Ageing took place as well in 1200HL temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks until bottling.

The vineyards are situated at 100-400 meters above sea level in the hills outside Verona in the Valpantena Valley and are south/south-east facing. Cool breezes blow down the valley from the foothills of the Dolomites, which moderate the climate, enabling the grapes to ripen slowly. This helps the grapes to retain their aromatic compounds and acidity. The soil is poor and chalky so the vines are put under stress and produce superior quality fruit. The vines are 20-30 years old on average and are trained using both the traditional Pergola Veronese and Guyot system.

Alpha Zeta was started in 1999 when Liberty Wines set out to produce a range of modern, fruit-driven wines from the hills outside Verona. Working with leading New Zealand winemaker, Matt Thomson, our aim was to work with growers (rather than buy bulk wine, which is standard among most wines from Verona at this price) to obtain ripe grapes (by reducing yields and picking later) and then, using Matt’s expertise, preserve these flavours in the finished wines. The result is a realisation of the potential inherent in Veronese viniculture.