Pioneers of the Lugana DOC
The story of Cà Maiol is intimately linked with the zone where, in every vintage, the visionary dream of its founder continues to take shape today.
A passion that spans the generations
A farmstead dating from 1710 and the surrounding lands near the southern shores of Lake Garda were the inspiration that gave rise to the estate in 1967: a location that was chosen not only for its particular microclimate, but because history revealed that high-quality wine had always traditionally been made in this area. Our founder’s passion for this region and for the grapes that produced Lugana led to his devoting himself – together with other vine-growers – to the development of the area, thus contributing to the creation of the Consortium for the Protection of the Lugana DOC. The estate consists of no less than 118 hectares under vine around Lake Garda: in the Lugana zone to the south, and in Valtènesi, towards the west.
Cà Maiol became part of the Santa Margherita Wine Group’s “winemaking mosaic” in 2017.
“The historicity of Cà Maiol allows us to face the future with authority and competence, but above all with the passion that has characterized our company for generations.”
Alessandro Marzotto, General Manager
Our work in the vineyards and in the winery
Sustainability according to Cà Maiol
In line with an idea of wine that is the result of cultivating vines in harmony with the forces of nature, the agronomic and enological decisions at Cà Maiol also follow this philosophy. In the vineyards, agriculture that respects the ecosystem and its inhabitants is a commitment in the present, in order to preserve their future. In the winery, technology is at the service of traditional expertise, so as to give maximum value to these zones’ innate viticultural heritage.
Today, Cà Maiol is a little treasure with emerald and topaz highlights set in the blue of Lake Garda. The vineyards are grassy gardens in which the well-ordered rows of vines reflect the harmony of the surrounding countryside, with its olive trees, citrus orchards, and woodland at the foot of the hills. For Cà Maiol, sustainability also involves research; that is the reason for the small experimental vineyard created with massal selections from old Turbiana vines, with the objective of tracing a path for the future in which climate change becomes a stimulus for preserving the area and continuing to demonstrate its intrinsic potential to the full.
A gem that is open to the public
The heart of Cà Maiol’s vinification represents the state of the art of winemaking technology in Lugana, with gravity-driven processing – fundamental for a delicate variety like Turbiana -, the possibility to vinify each single vineyard separately – allowing the wine to express all of its territorial characteristics and authenticity -, the new Willmes presses, the truncated cone-shaped tanks and the central one that contains 2,000 hl for blending: all technology that facilities the worker’s tasks. For Cà Maiol, innovations in the winery represent instruments for highlighting not only the company’s heritage in terms of grapes, but also all the hard work that is carried out in the vineyards throughout the entire year.
To accompany the grapes in a respectful way from the vineyard to the bottle, a unique, avant-garde winery project has been implemented. Today, Cà Maiol’s winery represents a model, the state of the art for technology in Lugana, beginning with its architecture that is integrated in the landscape. The spaces are set out on three levels, following the path that the grapes take during their process of transformation and taking advantage of gravity as an ally in all the phases of the wine’s production cycle. Gravity-driven vinification ensures that the grapes are processed in a less traumatic manner, without being stressed, thus preserving the balance of the wine and its extractions, so as to express the characteristics of the terroir in the best way possible. At ground level, we have organized a system for receiving the grapes, which are harvested by hand in order to keep the bunches whole. The grapes then descend into the destemming machine, which delicately keeps the berries intact and channels them even lower, towards the presses. After a soft pressing that extracts only the finest part of the grape juice, the musts – subdivided by vineyard plot – are vinified in modern stainless steel vats that allow us to gently punch down the cap during the fermentation process. In the depths of this third level, those wines that spend some time in oak also undergo their slow maturation.
Find out how Cà Maiol’s new winery functions
A space that is open to the public
Cà Maiol lies in the heart of the Lugana zone, in the midst of flourishing vineyards and ancient farmsteads. The building dating back to 1710, now the company’s sales department, has alongside it a large showroom. In perfect harmony with the surrounding environment, this space welcomes visitors with guided tours and tastings, as well as a shop for retail sales.
