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All organic certified viticulture
High quality and easy to enjoy
Unique sparkling expressions of native grapes

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About DILETTA TONELLO:

Fine Italian sparkling wine is undergoing a revolution, and wines made using the ‘metodo classico’, or Champagne method, are getting better every year, as are wines made in the ‘methode ancestrale’, otherwise known as ‘petillant naturel,’ or ‘pet nat’. One of the most interesting emerging types of the former is called Durello, made of the Durella grape variety in a region called Monte Lessini, just east of Soave, between Verona and Vicenza. (The region is partly volcanic;  volcanic soils often seem to produce really distinctive wines, I don’t know why.) The soil is interesting, the Durella grape variety is really interesting, and the combination of soil and grape produces some of the most distinctive sparkling wines in Italy; not copies of Champagne at all, but tangy and delicious in their own right.

Diletta Tonello is a young, forceful, talented wine producer who radiates enthusiasm. She has built on her father’s work; he founded the winery in 1990, and made the first bottles of classic method sparkling wine from Durella in 2000. Diletta officially started in 2014 after receiving her degree in oenology and one of the first things she did was convince her father to convert to organic farming. They officially filed the paperwork in 2020 but the conversion began years before. Fine wines are always a reflection of the person who makes them, and these distinctive, energetic wines make perfect sense coming from this person.

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The Wines:

IGT Veneto Frizzante ‘Marachelle’

‘Marachelle’ means ‘pranks.’ This cuvée is made of 60% Durella and 40% Chardonnay, grown in limestone-rich clay and volcanic soils at lower elevation (up to 300 meters above sea level). The Chardonnay rounds out the lemony notes from the Durella. Vinification is by the ‘ancestral method’ or ‘petillant naturel,’ which is to say the wine is bottled before the primary fermentation is finished, allowing the CO2 from the remaining fermentation to be trapped in the bottle. This also leaves a little yeast sediment in the bottle after its work is done, which macerates in the wine, adding flavor. You can either decant the wine off the yeast residue when you serve it, or you can throw caution to the winds and mix it in.  Aroma and flavor are of the yeast, as you’d expect, with a clear red apple note from the Durella; the Chardonnay rounds out the finish. This makes a lovely, distinctive aperitivo that also pairs well with a range of main dishes and cuisines.

Monti Lessini DOC Riserva Spumante ‘ioAura’

Made entirely of the Durella variety, grown in both limestone-based clay and volcanic soils at between 400 and 450 meters above sea level. The base wine, 90% of which is free run,  is fermented in neutral vessels and aged in cement tanks for about 7 months; then it is bottled with some yeast and sugar to undergo a secondary fermentation in the bottle. This sparkling wine is aged on the lees for 36 months before disgorgement, and bottled with about 5 grams per liter of residual sweetness (Extra Brut). The first time I tasted it I wrote ‘fabulous on the palate, really tastes like red apple, hint of honey, delicious. Long, extremely clean, mouthwatering.’

The name Aura is from Greek mythology and refers to a nymph to whom the element of wind was entrusted. Diletta gave all of her wines female names, and they represent the four elements: water, wind, earth and sun. She prefers that her customers get to know the wines by these personalities.

Monti Lessini DOC Spumante ’ioTeti’

Made entirely of the Durella variety, grown in volcanic soil at between 400 and 450 meters above sea level. Bunches are pressed whole, and this cuvée is made entirely from free run juice. The base wine is fermented in neutral vessels and aged in cement tanks for about 7 months; then it is bottled with some yeast and sugar to undergo a secondary fermentation in the bottle. This sparkling wine is aged on the lees for 60 months before disgorgement, and bottled with no added sweetness (Pas Dosé). ‘Pale straw yellow; abundant fine bubbles; fine and distinctive aroma of oyster shell, green apple, lemon peel, a kaleidoscope of fleeting aromas; consistent on the palate, with very fresh but balanced acidity. Outstanding sparkling wine.’

From Ian d’Agata’s immensely useful ‘Native Wine Grapes of Italy’: ‘The aroma and flavor … speaks of minerals, white flowers, and fresh fruit (especially green apple and lemon)…Its very high acidity makes sparkling wines an ideal vehicle for Durella’s charms…’

The name Teti is from Greek mythology and refers to a nymph to whom the element of water was entrusted. Diletta gave all of her wines female names, and they represent the four elements: water, wind, earth and sun. She prefers that her customers get to know the wines by these personalities.