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Wine cellar opening hours: Mon-Fri 9am-12pm and 2pm-6pm or Saturday 9am-4pm upon prior notice / For visits and tastings see here: Visit
Villa Corniole represents excellence in heroic viticulture in Trentino-Alto Adige. Our passion for the vineyard and the mountains comes together in the production of extraordinarily elegant wines that are authentically representative of our identity. Our family project is deeply rooted in the land, from the cultivation of the vines to the care of the mountain vineyards. Every step, from harvest to winemaking, is infused with our dedication to quality.
terroir
​Geographic Context Analysis
Trentino-Alto Adige is a mountainous wine-growing area that, thanks to its geographically diverse location and adaptability to environmental challenges, produces wines with a strong identity and exceptional sensory precision. The unique alpine morphology of the territory includes vineyards stretching from the milder shores of Lake Garda, through the valley floor, and climbing to the steep slopes of the Dolomites. This is mountain viticulture, encompassing a wide range of climatic zones and very different soils.
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Historically, our winery has cultivated grapes in two of the region's most renowned and distinctive areas: Valle di Cembra (75%) and Piana Rotaliana (25%).
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Valle di Cembra in Trentino is one of the Italian Alps's most characteristic and fascinating wine-growing areas. Its geography and climatic conditions offer a unique context for viticulture. The valley spans altitudes between 300 and 900 meters above sea level, with vineyards planted along mountain slopes on spectacular terraces. The altitude allows for the slow ripening of grapes, which is essential for obtaining wines with good acidity and an intense aromatic profile.
Piana Rotaliana in Trentino is one of the most renowned wine-growing regions in northern Italy. It stretches between the valleys of the Adige and Noce rivers and is about 200-300 meters above sea level. The mountains surround it, creating a unique microclimate.
TRENTINO, italia
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Valle di Cembra
Piana Rotaliana
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valle di cembra
Heroic Viticulture
Vine terraces supported by dry stone walls for a total of over km
650
Vertical vineyards, with slopes in % up to
0
Altitudes of the vineyards above sea level above m
750
Localization
The Val di Cembra is a continuation of the well-known Val di Fiemme and Val di Fassa. It borders Alto Adige-Südtirol. Over 700 km of dry stone walls support the vineyards on slopes that push the limits of possibility: an authentic, remarkable feat of agricultural engineering with few comparisons in our country, and beyond.
Climate
The Cembra Valley has a climate with alpine, mountainous characteristics. Summers are moderately warm, not overly humid, and winters are cold, sometimes harsh at higher altitudes. Warm winds rise through the valley in the morning and during the afternoon, while in the evening, cold currents from the Dolomites play a crucial role in creating the temperature variation between day and night.
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Soils
What makes this terroir unique is also the altitude at which vineyards can be cultivated here, reaching over 800 meters above sea level. Naturally, the soil plays a starring role as well, with a geological matrix predominantly composed of effusive volcanic rock that, over hundreds of thousands of years, has created a very distinctive terrain. It consists mainly of porphyry boulders and pebbles, with a good presence of limestone and sand, contributing to the mineral elegance and the sharp, refined harmony of the wines from this region. But that’s not all: a strong limestone component distinguishes Giovo (where our vineyards are located) from the rest of the Cembra Valley. Our fortune lies in being able to manage and select the soil components, depending on the types of wines produced.
Grapes
​Trento Doc Chardonnay
Trento Doc Pinot Nero
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Trentino Doc Superiore Valle di Cembra Müller Thurgau
Trentino Doc Superiore Valle di Cembra Pinot Nero
Trentino Doc Gewürztraminer
What makes the Cembra Valley special?
Let’s explore further
GENIUS LOCI, THE ESSENCE
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Ice, water, and fire—the elements of the genius loci in the Cembra Valley in Trentino that make the terroir unique. From the emerged coral reefs of the Dolomites to the volcanoes of the porphyry platform, to the glaciers that have shaped the hills overlooking the valley carved by the Avisio stream, here lies the ancestral energy that characterizes the Cembra Valley. The broad range of geological features, along with the favorable microclimate, create the ideal environment for the cultivation of white grape varieties, particularly Müller-Thurgau, Chardonnay, and Gewürztraminer, as well as Pinot Noir among red varieties.
Even today, from the edges of the perennial glacier of Marmolada, the queen peak of the Dolomites, the Avisio stream emerges, winding through wild canyons and continuing its slow work of shaping the landscape with unyielding energy. The warm winds of the Garda Ora in the afternoons and the fresh evening breezes from the east gently caress the vineyards, making it an ideal environment for viticulture. From the slopes of the limestone deposits of Monte Corona in Giovo, at altitudes exceeding 800 meters above sea level, to the cliffs overlooking the restless Avisio stream, the 700 kilometers of dry stone walls marking the terraced vineyards stand as a tangible emblem of the heroic mountain viticulture of Trentino and beyond.
HEROIC VITICULTURE
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The Cembra Valley is a tapestry of woods, small villages, and vineyards clinging to the rocky walls carved by the Avisio stream, which flows through after passing through the Val di Fassa and Val di Fiemme. Here, agriculture, almost entirely manual, becomes heroic, and the complex system of dry stone terracing—over 700 km—deeply marks the landscape, testifying to the hard work of the vintners. The particular exposure, altitude—rising above 800 meters—and the morphological characteristics and pedoclimatic conditions favor high-quality viticulture, expressed in both white wines, starting with Müller Thurgau, and red wines, as well as sparkling wines made using the classic method, Trentodoc.
Thus, the Cembra Valley is characterized by what is defined as heroic viticulture, on slopes that often exceed 40% gradient, requiring daily human intervention to prevent the land from becoming unstable and at risk of hydrogeological disaster: a manual labor in the vineyard that can exceed a thousand hours per hectare.
SOILS: PORPHYRY AND LIMESTONE
The type of soil has a significant impact on the characteristics of wine, as it directly influences vine growth and grape composition. Here’s how the porphyry and limestone soils found in the Cembra Valley affect our wines.
Porphyry is a volcanic rock rich in minerals such as iron and silica, providing a rocky and well-draining structure. Vines planted in porphyry soils tend to develop more slowly, but they produce high-quality grapes. The well-draining soil forces the plant to root deeper, resulting in greater concentration in the grapes.
Impact on wine:
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Minerality: Wines from porphyry soils often have a pronounced mineral profile, with notes of flint and a fresh sensation on the palate.
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Structure: These wines tend to be structured and complex, with vibrant acidity that makes them suitable for aging.
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Aromaticity: The characteristics of the volcanic soil can enhance floral and spicy aromas.
In summary, porphyry soil imparts mineral, complex, and structured wines, often with good acidity.
Limestone is rich in calcium carbonate, a material derived from marine shell or fossil sediments. Limestone soils are well-draining but also retain the necessary moisture during dry periods. Vines grown in limestone soils benefit from a balance between water stress and nourishment.
Impact on wine:
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Elegance and finesse: Wines from limestone soils are often characterized by great elegance and finesse. They tend to be more refined, with a well-balanced natural acidity that offers freshness and longevity.
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Fresh and fruity aromas: Limestone can enhance fresh and fruity aromas (white-fleshed fruits, citrus) and provide aromatic finesse, especially in white wines.
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Saltiness: Limestone contributes to a sensation of saltiness, almost saline, which gives persistence and depth to the wine.
In summary, limestone soil produces elegant, fresh, and savory wines, with great finesse and balance.
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piana rotaliana
Alluvial cradle
Localization
The Piana Rotaliana is an alluvial plain between the Adige River and the Noce stream, located in the northern part of Trentino, on the border with Alto Adige. It has the shape of a large triangle enclosed between the banks of the two rivers, with the "Gorge of Rocchetta" at its apex, which marks the beginning of the Val di Non. The plain is surrounded on three sides by a high bastion of rocky walls that protect it from cold winds, and to the north/east by the Salorno Gorge in the province of Bolzano.
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Climate
A mild climate of an alpine continental type, with the Dolomites shielding the area from cold northern winds and Lake Garda providing its mitigating influence.
Soils
A plain surrounded by high rocky walls and gentle slopes: this lush land, renowned for vine cultivation, owes its prosperity to the unique characteristics of the fertile alluvial soil composed of pebbles, gravel, and silt generated by its rivers: the Adige, Noce, and Avisio.
Grapes
Trentino Doc Lagrein
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Rotaliano Doc Teroldego
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Dolomiti Igt Pinot Grigio (Ramato)
The Piana Rotaliana extends north of Trento between the Adige and Noce rivers: it is a triangle of alluvial origin , surrounded by mountains that protect it from cold winds, creating a particularly favorable microclimate for the vine.
In this favorite land, a place that Cesare Battisti called "The most beautiful vine garden in Europe" , we grow Teroldego , Lagrein and Pinot Grigio , vinified in our mountain cellar. The Piana Rotaliana is primarily the reign of Teroldego Rotaliano, the main wine of Trentino and the most historic doc reeds of our province. A Terroir with unique and unrepeatable pedological characteristics, due to a loamy-sandy soil of good fertility, with a presence of dolomitic, granite, calcareous and porphyritic debris brought downstream by the Noce stream, and to the presence of majestic mountains which, protecting it from the cold winds coming from the North and keeping the summer heat, they create the ideal conditions for the ripening of the grapes.
