Masi

History

Masi is a family-owned estate rooted in the Valpolicella Classico zone, run by the Boscaini family across multiple generations. The name derives from a small valley called Vaio dei Masi, part of the original family holdings in the eastern Classico zone near Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella. The Boscainis have been farming the area since the eighteenth century, though Masi as a structured commercial producer took its modern form in the twentieth century and expanded steadily through the postwar decades.

The producer is particularly associated with the development of what it calls the "double fermentation" Ripasso technique, which involves refermented Valpolicella on the lees and skins left over from Amarone production. Campofiorin, first released in 1964, is one of the earliest and best-known examples of this style and predates the Ripasso DOC classification. That wine effectively established a template that much of the Veneto has since followed.

Masi also operates in other regions, including Argentina (Tupungato, in Mendoza) and the Venetian foothills, though Valpolicella remains the core identity. The Boscaini family retains ownership and operational control.

Vineyards

Masi draws fruit from multiple sites across the Valpolicella Classico zone, including estate vineyards and long-term grower relationships. The Classico area, concentrated in the valleys running north from Lake Garda toward Fumane, Marano, Negrar, and Sant'Ambrogio, is characterized by limestone and clay soils on terraced hillsides, with altitudes ranging from around 150 to over 400 meters in the upper valleys. The pergola veronese training system, traditional to the zone, is used across much of the area, though some newer plantings use Guyot.

The principal grape varieties are Corvina Veronese (dominant in most blends), Corvinone, and Rondinella. Molinara appears in smaller amounts in some cuvees. Masi has also done work with Oseleta, an old Veronese variety, incorporating it as a minor component in certain wines. Specific certified organic or biodynamic status for the estate vineyards is not publicly documented in detail.

Winemaking

Amarone is made via extended drying of the harvested grapes, typically for 90 to 120 days in the fruttaio, followed by slow fermentation of the concentrated must. The Costasera Amarone, drawn from Classico vineyards, spends several years in large Slavonian oak casks before release and represents the producer's main-line expression of the style. It is a relatively approachable Amarone by the standards of the appellation, sitting between the leaner, more austere style of smaller growers and the heavily extracted, high-alcohol end of the spectrum.

Campofiorin and its single-vineyard counterpart Brolo Campofiorin Oro use the Ripasso process: finished Valpolicella is refermented on the partially dried grape skins remaining from Amarone production, gaining body, color, and aromatic complexity without the full drying regimen required for Amarone itself. Aging for the Campofiorin range involves a combination of large casks and smaller barrels, varying by tier. The Bonacosta is the estate's standard Valpolicella Classico, aged briefly in wood and intended for earlier drinking. Across the range, winemaking is technically accomplished and consistent rather than experimental.