“Cavalchina is the name of the district where the winery is located, probably after the residence of the Conte Cavalchini.”
It is on the southeast border of the Garda amphitheater, dating back to the end of the Ice Age. This area has long been recognized as a vine growing district: in 1848 the vineyards were registered and classified by the ruling Hapsburg authorities as belonging to the first and second quality categories.
This was based not only on quality but also on consistency of good production, essentially due to the capacity of the soil to stay moist during hot seasons. Cavalchina doesn’t only have rich wine history but also has historical importance as it was at the center of the Italian Independence War I and III. As a memory of the 1866 battle, there is a brown slate obelisk right at the entrance of Cavalchina estate which commemorates the Prince Amedeo di Savoia who was wounded during the battle.
The Azienda Agricola was founded in the early 1900s with the purchase of the first vineyards. The cellar was built in 1948 and originally included a distillery in use only until 1967. By the 1960s, the Piona family felt that the white wines of Custoza deserved better recognition than simply being labelled as Soave. In 1962, they were the first producers to label their white wine as “Custoza”. They also drafted its “recipe”: a blend of Fernanda, Trebbiano and Garganega grapes and promoted it in key markets such as Rome and Milan.
“To make a quality wine is an art that requires patience, intelligence and love and nothing is left to chance. The three key factors are: terroir, vine and vinification.”
Philosophy
We have the confidence that our vineyards are in the best environment. The grape varieties are chosen in accordance with the climatic conditions and we keep our yields very low, allowing us to produce healthy grapes with high sugar levels.
The harvesting is manual, with several passes through the vineyards so as to select the best bunches for Cavalchina’s wines while the rest is sold on the wholesale market. This explains why the quantities differ each year but the high quality is maintained.
For the vinification, our technique combines traditional craftsmanship and new technologies in order to maintain the authenticity of our products. Our quality is reflected by the flattering testimonies in Guides and by tasting panels.