Company Vitivinicola

60 years of history, quality, prestige and excellence

ORIGINS OF THE BRAND

The sea griffins of the Merlotta brand were borrowed from a fresco in the private residence, located in the former master’s hall, a room still filled with paintings today. Art critics trace the sea griffins and tridents to the Greek god Dionysus, the Roman Bacchus, protector of grapes and the grape harvest. The association of our brand with these mythological figures seemed both fitting and honorable to us.
Today, this trademark seals the absolute guarantee of the Merlotta brand.

Four generations, one story.

Over sixty years of slow maturation, written by the passion of our family, a family tied to the secrets of the grape and the vicissitudes of our land. For four generations, we have been writing the history of our company. Each of us has contributed differently depending on the times, but always sharing the same values of sacrifice, skill, and satisfaction. Our history speaks of men and women, fathers and sons, of well-tended vineyards and great wines that have unforgettablely marked the flow of our lives.

THE DREAM

In 1962, Paolo Minzolini and Giovanna Mimmi, the founders of the winery, started to work as sharecroppers at the Merlotta estate.
On November 28, 1983, after twenty years of hard work, they realized their dream by purchasing Tenuta Merlotta. The story of our brand had begun.

THE TURNING POINT

In the early nineties, their sons Raffaele and Nerio, with the family experience and their specialized knowledge took over the farm, added new wine cellars and purchased other estates. Adriana, Raffaele’s wife, the third pillar of the family, also joined their efforts.

MERLOTTA TODAY

In the early 2000s, Fabio and Marco joined the company, marking the start of the third generation.
Qualified, solid, and forward-thinking, today the company boasts 45 hectares of vineyards spread across multiple estates, highly technological facilities, and major awards from wine critics.

LOOKING AHEAD

Merlotta looks confidently to the future and, driven
by the desire to continually improve, sets itself another ambitious goal, bringing a new dream to life:
to become an ambassador for Romagna’s winemaking quality around the world.

Merlotta today

A BRAND, A FAMILY

Ours is a tough job that keeps us occupied from dawn to late at night, but it is also wonderful and rewarding work in which all members of the family are fully committed to their role and responsibilities. Even though we are always passionate about our work and pleased with the results achieved, we never feel satisfied and, driven by the desire to continually improve, we eagerly look to the future, impatient to face new challenges.

Nature and wisdom

“…nature must be observed, listened to in silence, and understood, not dominated… the opposite is nothing more than a mere illusion…” The vineyard, the cellar, and our people are the cornerstones of our daily work. The vines represent the heart of our work, the expression of our land; each one is cultivated as if it were unique. Ultimately, it is always nature that decides, it is she who shows the way to transform wine into art; man, with his knowledge and his mastery, supports its progress. Absolute quality is the fruit of many small, daily gestures.

VINEYARDS

Tenuta Merlotta is made up of 15 hectares of wonderful vineyards, close to the head offices and the wine-making cellars. These beautiful vineyards, loved and looked after like gardens, contribute to the unique charm of the hills located between Dozza and Montecatone. Aware that “good wine is made in the vineyard”, most of our work is focussed on the vineyards. A long and careful study of the estate’s soil composition has allowed us, over the years, to select and plant the vines which are the most appropriate variety according to the specific features of the soil.

CELLARS

In the cellars we treat grapes with the utmost respect and in silence we listen to the must as it becomes wine, then we patiently wait while it is ageing.

We still perform tasks resulting from centuries-old ancestral wisdom, bearing in mind ancient and unchangeable lessons handed down to us. We are still working as craftsmen, aware that each detail is decisive.

This is the only way in which we can create wines with a unique identity.

Territory

Our winery lies at the heart of Emilia-Romagna. Just a few kilometres from the Enoteca Regionale, which is housed in the wonderful setting of the Sforza Castle in Dozza, a medieval village that is listed among the hundred most beautiful villages of Italy.

This land is home to a number of world excellence sites: picturesque hilly landscapes and cities of art, important local craft initiatives and companies of excellence, delicious food and a very good quality of life. Emilia Romagna is found at the centre of the main Italian wine producing area, bordering with regions that are traditionally regarded as the most suitable for vine-growing at a national level: Tuscany to the south, Piedmont to the west, Lombardy to the northwest and Veneto to the northeast.

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