The Letrari winery was founded in 1976 by expert enologist Leonello Letrari and his wife Maria Vittoria, however the Letrari family dates back to 1647 and has been making wine for centuries. Leonello was born on the family estate in Borgetto all'Adige, a locality that is on what was once the frontier between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Italian Kingdom. Today, Borgetto al Adige sits between the modern regions of Veneto and Trentino-Alto- Adige.
The enthusiasm for fine wine production has been passed down from Leonello and Maria Vittoria to their daughter Lucia. Lucia graduated from the prestigious San Michele Al Adige Institute of Agriculture and Enology in 1987, and now successfully manages the family winery with the same skill and passion as her parents.
The Letrari winery is very much married to its location's distinctive terroir and the Vallagarina's microclimate - an environment influenced by the bordering river Adige and the warm breeze that blows in from Lake Garda every afternoon, known in Italian as "L'Ora" meaning the hour. This wind gently lifts from the lake and travels up the valley every afternoon at 3:00pm precisely. It aerates the grapes and the vines in the summer, the heat and dry wind affect the sugar concentration in the grapes.
Letrari Vini produces 25 different varieties of wine, each deeply rooted to the territory and with distinctive characteristics. The temperate climate has also made it possible for the firm to produce a limited quantity of extra-virgin olive oil. Growing olives this far north makes for particularly fruity oil with a delicate aroma.
The Letrari winery has 23 hectares of vineyards located in various areas around Vallagrina. Its headquarters are in the modern winery at Borgo Sacco in Rovereto. There is a beautiful tasting room which is open to the public by appointment. The property, surrounded by a luxuriant garden, is spectacular. The garden and tasting room can be booked for private functions with a maximum capacity of 60 people.
Vineyard
The Vallagarina in its long history was known as the region of the finest red wines produced in the German Empire and more recently, between World War I and II, as a territory ideal for the classical Bordeaux grape varieties; but the production of wine in this area dates back to the Roman Empire.
The Letrari vineyards consist in 22 hectares of vines resting in the Borghetto all'Adige and Rovereto zone: this special region has a perfect combination of landscape, terroir and climate.
The soil is poor and rocky, the temperature is ideal in summer (partly due to the microclimate created by the local wind, the Ora del Garda): vines here still co-exist alongside olive groves.
The valley is more open here and the excellent sun exposure allows the grapes to ripen to perfection.
The careful selection of vines varieties made by Letrari, together with the low production pro hectare, guarantee the excellence of the grapes produced in these vineyards.
