A butler in green livery welcomes wine lovers to the Cantina Costadoro of Bardolino, overlooking the Veronese Riviera of Garda: it is an olive tree at the entrance of the courtyard, which some scholars believe to be millenary and still bearing fruit. There are 3,500 olive trees embedded on the hills around the winery, to produce the precious extra virgin Garda PDO oil, accompanied at the table by the tasty balsamic dressing Rosè made from white vinegar.
Bringing the potential of the territory to its fullest expression is a constant commitment of Valentino Lonardi, son of Giovanni – one of the pioneers of the success of Bardolino wine, especially the Chiaretto Spumante metodo Charmat – in whose memory “G” is dedicated, a sweet red wine, intense and harmonious to the senses.
Of the product range, I focus on two distinctive labels of the company. Costadoro is one of the rare wineries that still produce Novello: the flower of wine, the pleasure of youth with that fragrant bouquet so similar to the scents of the just-finished harvest. The reasons for which the owner continues to produce Novello, with a simple and direct process: hand harvesting the grapes into crates, emptying them into tanks, 100% maceration under carbon dioxide, and voilà, bottles ready from November, are emotional before economic.
I opened a Novello Costadoro four years after the harvest and enjoyed a pleasant Bardolino!
The discontinuity within continuity is represented by the young daughter Rachele who, besides technological innovations, has created new graphics for the labels with sober, elegant, direct traits; with clear satisfaction she shows her creation Ariel, a fresh and lively sparkling Rosé with floral notes. She chose an appropriate name for this wine: Ariel is the Archangel endowed with vigorous feminine energy, her beauty is linked to nature, Mother Earth, and is surrounded by a pink aura. A bottle that pairs perfectly with peach blossoms and decorates the Easter lunch.
The Costadoro style forged by the family-vineyard-grape-wine circuit defines the nineteen Bardolino references, from Novello Doc to Classic Broi up to Superiore DOCG; the Rosés and Chiaretti, from Classic to Pink Diamond, up to Rosato Dry and the Chiaretti Brut from Metodo Classico and Metodo Charmat. There are also Whites, from pure Garganega to Garda Cortese to the sweet white Polsà, up to the sparkling Bianco brut Metodo Charmat and Metodo Classico and the Dry Metodo Classico. Completing the offer is the Bardolino Grappa, Lonardi label.
In such a place, the Agriturismo cannot be missing, a B&B formula with ten rooms, two mini apartments, pool and panoramic terrace, managed by the other daughter Valentina and mother Mariangela. It is a viewpoint immersed in olive trees, which from the hill overlooks the lake, to enjoy the landscape, climate, kindness and Gardesan delicacies at breakfast.
