The Allegrini family estate covers 120 hectares of vineyard in the heart of Valpolicella Classico. Although they have been growing grapes here for several centuries, Giovanni Allegrini was the first to start bottling wines from the family’s vineyards. When he died in 1983, he passed a passion for and a commitment to quality wine onto his three children – Walter, Marilisa and Franco. They worked together to build on Giovanni’s quality ethos until Walter’s death in 2003. Franco now looks after the vineyards and the winemaking, while Marilisa takes charge of sales and marketing. From the 2007 vintage, Franco sacrificed the Classico status of the Valpolicella and bottled the wine under Stelvin to eliminate cork taint and random oxidation problems as much as possible. Unlike in other areas of Italy, the 2017 vintage developed with very satisfactory regularity. Fortunately, the La Grola vineyard completely escaped the spring frost and hailstorms that affected many Italian wine region. While rainfall was lower than average during summertime, the vineyards did not experience much water stress and were able to develop at a normal rate. The harvest period was dry and breezy, with a large diurnal change, enabling the grapes to remain healthy and be picked at optimal ripeness. La Grola is a full bodied, intense and elegant wine. Dark, ruby red in colour, it has aromas of wild berries, juniper, tobacco and coffee essence. The high plant density and resulting low yields give this wine its unique concentration.