Italiano
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.
