Category Archives: News

In a normal world, by now, most of our customers would have seen and been able to taste our new rosé KEYA 2019 in restaurants and wine shops around the world. Our importers, new buyers and journalists would have been introduced to it at wine fairs and events like Prowein, Vinitaly and Anteprima Chiaretto. The world has changed but despite everything the advent of spring and the prospect of summer gives us all hope and we look to the future.

Having not had the chance to make a big splash with KEYA and with times as they are, we would now just like to share our thoughts behind the wine and our wishes that many of our old friends, new customers and future followers will soon get the chance to enjoy a glass of lightly chilled KEYA. Especially as it is now, thankfully, starting to make its way out into the world just as the rosé season begins.

About the wine:

KEY-A is a play on the first two syllables of Chi-a-ret-to (KEY-A), pronounced KEE-AH. The name also signifies a little of what the wine represents, as we have long thought that the real strength of the Bardolino vineyard area is in its ability to make world class rosé wines and that rosé/rosato is the KEY to the region’s present and future success in wine.

Not to take anything away from the reds, which of course we are passionate about, but there are factors such as: the position by the lake, the milder climate, the lighter soils, the lighter skins of the grapes used (especially Corvina and Rondinella) which all combine to make a perfect recipe for great rosé wines.

KEYA is a designated rosé, unlike many others it is not an off-shoot or by-product of red wine making. For our rosé we pick many of the grapes earlier than we would if we were making a red, in order to preserve freshness and vitality. After a short, gentle pressing,  just enough to allow the ideal amount of colour and depth of flavour, the wine is vinified at cool temperatures in stainless steel, much like a white wine, and here again the goal is to preserve freshness and fruit purity

The resulting wine is a rosé which is pale in colour but rich in style. Its freshness and intense, vibrant fruit followed by a dry finish make it a great rosé to enjoy chilled on its own or accompanying a huge range of food from cold antipasti to shellfish to salads to spicy dishes.

About the label:

The coin is of a type that originates in Venice and was presented by the Doge or Head of State for the Venetian Republic (697 AD to 1797 AD) as a gift to dignitaries visiting the city state. This particular coin was from a time when one of the Loredan’s held the title of Doge and is here on the label (along with the Doge’s ceremonial hat) as a tribute to Contessa Maria Cristina Loredan, the mother of the current generation of Rizzardi.

The design celebrates the Contessa’s contribution to the history of Bardolino and heralds also the future for Chiaretto as the KEY to the region’s success – it is no coincidence that the label has the shape of a door ….to the future.

 

 

 

 

 

Master of Wine and Sunday Times wine writer Martin Moran every year picks out his top wines for The Wine Guide, a much anticipated annual selection which features in major Irish national newspaper The Sunday Times. The guide features more than 100 wines available to buy in Ireland each one chosen by Martin.

Very happy to say that our Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG Classico 3CRU 2014 was chosen for the category of Full-Bodied Reds and awarded 92 points.

Here are the words of Martin Moran MW:

‘Rizzardi make excellent Amarones, and you could pay well in excess of this elsewhere and get little more than on offer here” 92/100

3CRU is available in limited quantities in a selection of countries, in Ireland it is imported exclusively by O’Briens Wines Beers & Spirits.

Nature does not stop and therefore neither do we, so taking advantage of the good weather, we have been busy this spring with green work on the vines.

In Bardolino, between the vineyards of Bardolino and Cavaion, we have been engaged in desuckering, in eliminating double shoots, in thinning the shoots and in cleaning the pruned vine heads.

The ‘desuckering’ is the process of removing excess shoots from the trunk of the vine, shoots that anyhow would never bear fruit. If we avoided this intervention, the shoots left on the vine would absorb water and minerals vital for growth and this would negatively affect the quality of the harvest.

Eliminating the double shoots and shoot thinning is the removal of excess sprouts on the eventual fruit bearing part of the vine in some vineyards, this is based on our production tables defined vineyard by vineyard and keeps the amount of grapes produced per vine under control.

The cleaning of the pruned heads is also used to manage production, to avoid excessive leaf growth and prepare the vines for future winter pruning.

It is a totally handmade intervention: the work is tiring and expensive, but it is only one of the many efforts we make in the vineyards to ensure that each of our bottles of wine originates from quality grapes.

 

With over 20 years’ experience in Asia and following its success in Hong Kong, Vinexpo opens its new annual trade show in Shanghai, from the 23rd to the 25th of October. We are delighted to be there with our new Chinese importer Hompar and its welcoming, friendly and very knowledgeable team (all have WSET certifications).

Come and share our excitement for this new adventure at Stand D30 !

 

 

We are very happy to announce that the vintage 2013 of our flagship, single vineyard Amarone Calcarole, has been awarded Gold at the Wine Hunter Award 2019 !

 

We are delighted to announce the opening of the 3rd Guerrieri Rizzardi Wine Shop!

Located in the beautiful oasis of Ca’ Nova – an island in a sea of vines at the base of the hill of Cavaion. In a converted, old stone building, flanked by olive trees, we are sure it will become a destination for wine lovers visiting our area. There is always wine on tasting so come and visit us!

 

It was an amazing month of May for our Bardolino Chiaretto 2018. Shortly after its launch on the market, it won two important recognitions, the first from Italy and the second from the United States.

The new vintage of our Chiaretto was selected as one of the 100 Best Italian Rosés by the Slow Wine Guide .

It was then chosen as the Editors’ Choice for the summer issue of Wine Enthusiast, one of the most influential American wine magazines, with the outstanding score of 90 points.

Summer could not have started better, so enjoy the sun with a glass of our delicious Chiaretto !