Azienda Tor dell'Elmo, Verona, Veneto, Italy

TOR DELL'ELMO: THE FLAT VALLEYS OF VENETO

Tor dell'Elmo is a family business that was founded in 1950. In the meantime it has grown into a large wine company. The wines are made from grapes from Verona, region Veneto. The processing takes place in the region Marken; in Italian Marche . The landscape in the region Marche is very varied . From the Apennines (mountain range) the landscape rolls out in an easterly direction to the Adriatic Sea. The area is mainly hilly and has a dramatic coastline of rocky and sandy beaches, popular with tourists. The region has a rich culture of wine and agriculture.

EXCITING & SPARKLING

Tor dell'Elmo started producing sparkling wines in the 1950s. In the 1970s, it expanded to mineral water and in the 1990s, it started producing still wines. The production method for sparkling wine is thanks to the Italian M. Martinotti (director of the Royal Laboratory of Wine), who developed the method of fermentation in tanks (The Tank Method) around 1895. After 1900, it was Mr. Charmat who applied for a patent for this; and the name Charmat Method came into being; fermentation in tanks. The best wines are selected and then placed under pressure and thermal control. After adding the liqueur de tirage, a combination of yeast and sugars, a second fermentation is started. The carbon dioxide that is created in this way provides the 'prise de mousse'. The sparkling wine (Spumante) is then bottled under pressure from the tank. The bottling process of sparkling wines is as follows: Bottling, capping, pasteurizing, labeling and boxing the wines.