Winter has arrived and with it cold and short days.  The weather during December was good, some rain but no snow. On December  3 and 4 Villa Monteleone participated  in  the first “Wine Market”, organized by the Italian Association of  Independent Vine Growers ( Federazione Italiana  Vignaioli Indipendenti F.I.V.I)  held in Piacenza , Italy.  Two hundred  members from all over Italy presented their wines.

FIVI is a new association, formed only two years ago. It already has 600 members, who cultivate 6,500 hectares of vineyard and produce 40 million bottles of wine.  FIVI members are those winemakers who cultivate their own vineyards, make and bottle their own wine and sell all of their production in bottle,  under their own label and responsibility. FIVI is the Italian sister of the French association “Vigneron Independant” and is doing a great job of representing the interests of  the small wine makers at both European Union and Italian Government levels. The event was well organized and successful,  we are sure the second Market, in 2012, will be even better December was the time to crush the grapes for the Amarone:  this year the Vintners Association (Consorzio Tutela Vini Valpolicella)  has authorized its members to crush earlier due to climate conditions at the end of harvest; it was very hot and dry so the grapes dried faster than usual.