When Silvia Tezza finished her BA in Agriculture Science & Technology, she was totally certain about one of her most prominent goals: she was not going to put into practice the ideas she had learnt in her academic life, that means to say, she was determined not to use herbicides, fungicides, and other chemical products, and she was not going to increase the yields of the vines, and in the cellar she was not going to use technology. Her aim was to do exactly the opposite of what she was taught in college. With the precious help of her uncle Maurizio and the other member of the family she decided to restore her family farm Il Roccolo di Monticelli, which had 100-year-old olive trees, several fruit trees, as well as 50‑year‑old vineyards. Nowadays, all the members of the family help out with the work in the vineyards, in the cellar, and in events and sales.
Il Roccolo di Monticelli is located on the hills of Vallata di Mezzane, in the province of Verona, and there all the work is based on a association of efforts of all the family, since they all share the agricultural tasks, not only in the making of wine but also in the production of fruits, olive oil, and honey. The name of the farm is a reference to the old tower for observation and hunting birds (“roccolo,” in Italian) which can be found very close to the vineyards. Although the family has been making wine for their own consumption, farming was never the main occupation of any member of the family, so this is the first time that they are making wine in a more commercial way.
So Silvia’s goal is to craft – from the vineyard to the cellar – healthy wines, with a strong sense of identity and personality, out of respect to the environment and to the biodiversity of the landscape and the soil. Contrary to what she was taught in college, her focus is on quality, not on quantity. All the grapes Silva works with are indigenous of the region, she does not irrigate the soil, fertilizers are never used, because she wishes to get low yields, and the harvest is made exclusively by hand to prevent soil compaction and to keep the integrity of the fruit. Silvia has recently started to use biodynamic practices in the vineyard, allowing herbs and wild flowers to grow freely, thus enhancing even more the biodiversity of the place. Following a family tradition, the wines go through a process of extended maceration, without filtration or clarification, to emphasize their dynamic, persistent character. Wines, without any doubt, of meditation.
