Tenuta Lena Di Mezzo Monte Del Fra Valpolicella Ripasso 2020  £19.25

Tenuta Lena Di Mezzo Monte Del Fra Valpolicella Ripasso

The Ripasso Classico Tenuta Lena di Mezzo is a stylish and elegant yet boldly honest wine. A taste of the true Valpolicella that is astonishingly lighthearted and adds an exceptional touch when served with Italian cuisine.

On the hills near Sommacampagna, between Custoza and Staffalo, there is a wine estate surrounded by the moraine hills of Lake Garda. The estate was founded as a monastery by friars from Santa Maria Della Scala, who grew their own food to live off the land in perpetuity. But they also made wine, which is how their legacy keeps living today. Almost two centuries later, in 1958, Massimo Bonomo rented two rooms and the adjacent fields. His family opened a Frasca, a typical Venetian bulk wine shop. They made wine and grew peaches, strawberries, and wheat.

Then, on August 8, 1988, the big turnaround: Massimo Bonomo's sons, Eligio and Claudio, decided to turn their father's business around. They converted all family lands into vineyards and established the Monte del Frà wine estate as their only financial foothold.

After years of growth and hard work, the family would soon add new DOC-classified territories: Valpolicella, Custoza, Lugana, Soave, and Bardolino. Today, the family owns 137 hectares/338 acres and works another rented 68/168.
Today, after over 60 years, the Bonomo family is still managing Monte del Frà: the second generation, with the brothers Eligio and Claudio, has been joined by the third with Marica,

Silvia, and Massimo. The years pass, and the generations change, but something will always stay the same: the utter commitment to the land. Today, Custoza, Bardolino, Chiaretto, and Frattino have been joined by new labels that have become a mere reference for Italian quality wine.