Casa Vinicola Zonin is the name of an important winery that has as its protagonist a family that for seven generations has linked its name to the passion for the land, for the vineyard. 'Viticultori from 1821', its history begins in Gambellara, a town surrounded by hills covered with vineyards in the Vicenza area, where wine was already cultivated by the Romans and appreciated since the times of the Doges of Venice.
Zonin 1821 History
The Zonin family is linked to the cultivation of vines and the production of wine since 1821, but it is in 1921 that a real revolution begins: the commendatore Domenico Zonin enhances the land and the family vineyards, giving life to Zonin1821.
The Zonin Winery, with 2000 hectares of vineyards in the Italian regions most evocated for viticulture, produces, in Veneto, the native wines of the area (Gambellara DOC and classic, Recioto Spumante and Passito di Gambellara DOCG, Prosecco DOC).
The desire to open the doors of the cellars to make guests discover the wine, its history and its territory has now become an integral part of the company philosophy. The Zonin1821 counts on a staff of Hospitality staff that welcomes the enotourists, involving them in a cultural as well as gastronomic experience.
Enotourist hospitality means: tour of the vineyards and cellars, visits to the company museum paths, guided tastings with care and professionalism, wine pairings with typical local products. For the external companies are available to the reception areas equipped with all the comforts and technology necessary to make pleasant and functional meetings, conventions and meetings.
In the historical site of Zonin1821 it is possible to visit the winery in a route between large barrels and barriques, to understand the techniques and secrets of refining wine, as well as the methods of drying and vinification of Recioto di Gambellara DOCG and of the local wines of the area from Gambellara. It starts from the "Historic" Bottaia, an underground cellar built in the early twentieth century by Commendatore Domenico Zonin, where the reds of excellence are refined according to the techniques of the Italian tradition. Here are housed the large oak barrels of Slavonia where the wine, in maximum silence, rests for years. The Barricaia "Berengario" follows, dedicated to refining the wine of the same name, a strong personality red wine obtained from the classic Bordeaux blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Barricaia "Domenico Zonin" has recently been built, where the technical staff carries out the experiments for a more and more conscious choice of the oak wood aimed at obtaining the highest level of quality in the refining phase. And finally, "la Tinaia", dedicated exclusively to refining Recioto di Gambellara DOCG, a historic dessert and meditation wine already known and famous in the 1300s as Pier Crescenzio testifies in his "De Agricoltura" treaty.
The Zonin family estates extend over more than 4000 hectares of land, of which around 2,000 are cultivated in the vineyard. Another 500 hectares, of which 90 are vineyards, are located in the United States, at Barboursville Vineyards, Virginia. The estates are located in the seven Italian wine-growing regions: Veneto, Friuli, Piedmont, Lombardy, Tuscany, Sicily and Puglia. These are model companies, garrisons of quality and rural civilization, of landscape and architectural importance, perfectly integrated with the territory and able to preserve it: an oasis of tradition that blends with innovation and modernity.
The museum itinerary "A story of lives, men and lands of the Zonin family" accompanies visitors on a seductive visit, which traces the history from the origins of the Zonin family, back in 1821, to the acquisition of the 10 vineyards.
Through the suggestion of a skilful play of lights, furniture and photographs, the route now involves the visitor in the charm of the Tenuta Ca 'Bolani in Friuli, now in the nobility of the Tuscan landscapes of Castello d'Albola, now in the brightness of the Feudo Principi lands of Butera. All this allows the guest to discover environments, events and people that are at the base of the success of one of the most important Italian private wineries.
In addition to the Museum you can also admire the collection of corkscrews, beautiful and refined Murano glass glasses, the collection of edicts on wine that cover almost four centuries from the 1600s up to the early 1900s and the ancient wine and agricultural tools in use in the Veneto in the last centuries.
The historical site of ZONIN1821 has a cozy wine shop where you can taste and buy wines, oils and grappa produced in the Zonin family estates. There are many varieties of native and international wines that offer a new taste experience. The sommelier, responsible for the wine shop, is available to visitors to provide information on the systems of production, vinification and refinement of individual wines and to suggest the most appropriate wine and food pairing.