Speri Winery

Founded in 1874, Speri is located in the heart of the Valpolicella region of Veneto. Run by the Speri family and now in its seventh generation, Alberto Speri is the winemaker. The Speri winery is heavily rooted in tradition and well respected in the region.

Points of Differentiation

• Estate Grown, Estate Bottled
• 100% native varietals
• Speri owns 148 acres (60 hectares) in the finest Classico districts: Fumane, Negrar, and San Pietro in Cariano
• Higher density planting than the appellation’s average resulting in small crops yields and excellent concentration
• Each vineyard is individually vinified
• 99% of the St. Urbano Cru is owned by Speri
• St. Urbano is the name of Saint who protects people who make wine and, historically, was given to the best vineyards of a region

The History

The Speri’s presence in this heartland of fine winemaking goes back to 1874, though the original homestead and cellars are even older, built in 1580.

The Speri family has always put the vineyard first, and through the years, purchased over 148 acres in the finest Classico districts: Fumane, Negrar, and San Pietro in Cariano.

In spite of size and scope, the Speris personally deal with every detail: every grape going into their wines is estate-owned and estate-grown, personally cultivated by the Speris with just as much pride in the craft of viniculture, the manual, hard-working side to it, as in its art.

The Speri family is a shining example of the values and strengths of a timeless culture, rooted in the family and the soil. The fourth generation invested heavily in clonal selection, state-of-the-art equipment, and ever-higher quality criteria. These were watershed years, when the brothers decided to vinify each vineyard individually for all wines and not just Amarone.

Carlo Speri will tell you that the vineyard has always been foremost in the Speri philosophy, “the local heritage in terms of terroir is so exceptional, we have always and exclusively grown native Valpolicella clones. We believe that these alone constitute the appellation’s most authentic expression. Our ultimate objective – a pretty ambitious one! – is that of achieving perfect harmony of the soil and its vines.”

The Terroir

Valpolicella Classico is a hilly nook within northern Italy’s Veneto region, covering one-fifth of the entire Valpolicella DOC and corresponding to just five municipalities. Wedged between the Adige River and the Alps mountain range, it constitutes the appellation’s historical core. Here the elevated terrain located on the Alpine foothills has a temperate climate that is unexpected given the northerly latitude.

In the Speri vineyards, the land has been divided into distinct crus comprising La Roverina, Sant’Urbano, and La Roggia. Throughout the property, the native vines of Corvina Veronese, Rondinella, Corvinone, Molinara and others are planted with a much higher density than the appellation’s average. This results in small crops with an excellent concentration that are fine-tuned in the state-of-the-art winery.