A family business in a nutshell: father Sandro arrives at the office every morning at six o’clock and doesn’t clock off until seven o’clock in the evening. And he is 86 years old. This illustrates the drive and commitment of all the family members at Farina Wines, a renowned winery in the Valpolicella region of Italy.
Text: Sabina Posthumus | Image: Elisabetta Falco via Unsplash
In the heart of Valpolicella, a twenty-minute drive from Verona and twenty kilometres from Lake Garda, lies the Farina Winery, the oldest family-run business in the region. It was founded in the nineteenth century by Remo Farina, with a modest production of up to 20,000 bottles. His sons Sandro and Remo took over in 1968 and turned it into something spectacular. Remo’s winemaking skills and Sandro’s sales talent: a winning combination.
‘Sadly, my uncle passed away at a young age,’ says Claudio Farina, who now runs the business alongside his niece Elena. ‘He was only 57 years old. After that, Elena and I joined the business. We both come from completely different backgrounds: after a short spell in Miami learning English, I worked in the footwear industry. I designed shoes and was involved in production planning. My cousin studied psychology. We had no background in wine, but my father said: ‘This is the winery, ’You decide for yourselves what you want to do.’
Unusual Amarone
Anyone who wants to understand Farina’s wines must first understand what Amarone is, and why its production is so unusual. Amarone della Valpolicella is a dry red wine made from partially dried grapes, mainly Corvina, supplemented with Rondinella and Molinara. It is a centuries-old tradition in the region, of which the Farina family is proud. That is why they prefer to work with these three grape varieties, which are native to this region. Whilst other winemakers in the region tend to remove Molinara from their vineyards, Farina holds on to it firmly, explains Claudio. ‘The original Amarone was born from this grape variety. You’ll find Molinara in all our wines. It adds freshness and minerality to the blend.’
At the heart of the Amarone production process is the appassimento: After the harvest, the bunches of grapes are spread out in special drying rooms, where they lose moisture over a period of several months. This drying process usually takes around 120 days and not only concentrates the juices but also increases contact between the juice and the tannins in the skins, which contributes to the wine’s ultimate balance. The result is a wine with depth, structure and an alcohol content that easily approaches fifteen per cent. At Farina, this drying process now takes just three months, as climate change means the grapes are harvested at a riper stage than before.
Fancy reading more? You can do so in WINELIFE issue 101, shop here.
Don't want to miss a single edition? Subscribe then subscribe to WINELIFE Magazine now!
Want to stay up to date with the best articles? Follow WINELIFE magazine on Instagram, Facebook and sign up for our fortnightly newsletter.
English (UK) 
Nederlands 
Deutsch