Provincia di Mantova

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The morainic hills form part of the Anfiteatro Morenico del Garda, reaching elevations of up to 200 metres above sea level, with the Mincio as the principal hydrological axis.
• The upper plain zone lies at elevations of between 36 and 56 metres above sea level and is influenced by the fluvioglacial deposits of the Mincio, the Oglio, and the Chiese.
• At the transition between fluvioglacial deposits of different character in the upper plain, the phenomenon of fontanili occurs — that is, the natural upwelling of the water table.
• The middle plain zone, at elevations of between 13 and 36 metres above sea level, is characterised by clayey-silty and calcareous fluvioglacial deposits and by fine, siliceous sandy sediments.
• The climate is considered intermediate between Mediterranean and oceanic in terms of continentality, with high summer temperatures and humidity, harsh winters, and late spring frosts, while in the morainic hills it ranges from humid to sub-humid with a summer moisture deficit.
• The territory of the province of Mantova is predominantly flat, with a hilly zone to the north formed by the morainic amphitheatre of Lake Garda, sloping gently down towards the Po Plain. (via Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0)

• Archaeological excavations in the morainic hills have unearthed a bowl of grape seeds dateable to the Neolithic pile-dwelling period, attesting to the ancient origins of viticulture in the Mantova area.
• Vine cultivation gained significant ground at the end of the eleventh century through the Benedictine monks on the lands of the abbey of Polirone at San Benedetto Po, described on account of its importance as the Cassino of the north.
• The vine was traditionally trained in the married-elm system (maritata all'olmo) according to the classic Mantovan piantata method, as documented by the Po Valley viticultural congress held at San Benedetto Po on 16 January 1949.

• In the hilly zone adjacent to Lake Garda, characterised by gently sloping soils of morainic origin, lake breezes promote grape quality and have a beneficial influence on the fermentation and preservation of the wines.
• In the plain, calcareous alluvial soils combined with a warm, humid climate create a pedoclimatic situation favourable to achieving fully ripe grapes with high polyphenolic and aromatic content, which in turn determines the structure and body of the red wines.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Italy

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PGI-IT-A1078
• Official trade body site — Consorzio Vini Mantovani