Corte Rugolin is the name of an old manor house which dates back to the end of the 17th century and which has, annexed to it, other buildings and porticoes. These are of a style and design appropriate to the needs of an agricultural estate which produces, above all, wine, but also cherries and olives.

Originally owned by the noble Nuvoloni family, it was acquired in 1971 by BRUNO COATI and his wife SILVIA in order to provide a more substantial base for the production and sale of the family's wines, activities which were started in 1918 by great-grandfather FORTUNATO and then carried on by grandfather GIUSEPPE.

Corte Rugolin: particular of the court

The land here in the central valley of the Valpolicella Classico zone (that of Marano), is made up of hard red terrain on a subsoil of Middle Eocene basalt and limestone from the Lower and Middle Cretaceous periods. It is particularly suitable for the cultivation of grapes, cherries and olives.

GOOD WINE COMES FROM GOOD VINEYARDS: this has always been the guiding principle for Bruno and Silvia, who strive to get the very best from their vineyards so as to be able to offer, in turn, the very best to the drinkers of their wines. Their tenacious efforts have been rewarded with some very prestigious accolades, such as the prizes won at the Palio del Recioto and the Concorso Vini Classici della Valpolicella.

Although experience and tradition are important, the Coatis are certainly not resting on their laurels: experimentation continues to proceed as the market demands wines of ever-increasing quality.

Within the last few years, Bruno and Silvia's two children, ELENA and FEDERICO, have become involved in the running of the estate. With the skills and knowledge they have acquired, the passion which they have inherited, the research which they continue to foster, and drawing on the great experience of their parents (who continue to devote most of their time to the company), ELENA and FEDERICO are bringing in a new wave of innovation, while demonstrating, at all times, their healthy respect for nature and the environment.

Greater plant density; lower yields per vine; the "revival" of ancient grape varieties which produce tiny quantities but give excellent quality wines; the limited and prudent use of new oak barrels. All of these factors have led to a more progressive image and certainly to new taste sensations for those who taste our wines, even though these still retain those flavours and aromas which are typical of the products of Valpolicella Classico.

The viticultural extension of our firm is of 10 hectares, of property and on lease, situated in the various village councils of Valpolicella Classica.

The majority of the vines are 25-30 years old with a grape production which is vastly inferior to what the disciplinary regulation provides for.

The main grape growing method used is the pergola but in these last few years we have been gradually creating some reimplantations in rows and guyouts in order to improve the quality of our grapes.

Here is a synoptic table with data regarding our cru vines, those which, thanks to a more favourable microclimate and sun exposure, produce integral grapes, with an elevated sugar concentration, perfect for the process of raisin wine.

The wine-cellar, that is to say where our wines reach the necessary ripening and refining after the first operations of vinification.

In our ancient cellar with large visible stone walls and a secular trussed ceiling, the most valuable wines (Amarone, Recioto, Aresco, Valpolicella Ripasso) go through a refinement process for a period of time which lasts from six months to three years in different barrels which are then assembled before the bottling.

We find several 225-litre French barriques of medium or low toasting, selected among the best Allier and Troncais woods by the producers: Boutes, Le Treùil, Vernou, De L'adour, Lubin, Vicard.

For the refining of Amarone and Valpolicella Ripasso apart from barriques we also use 350-litre tonneaux produced by Gamba and Garbellotto and 20-hl barrels of Rovere from Slavonia of Pausha.

We use the same percentage of new and second or third passage barrels, ten of which are changed on average every year.