Company

60 years of history, quality, prestige and excellence

ORIGINS OF THE BRAND

The marine gryphons of the Merlotta brand come from a fresco found in the family home, in the former main hall, a room that is still full of paintings. Art critics trace the marine gryphons and tridents back to the Greek god Dionysius, also called Bacchus by the Romans, who protected grapes and the harvest. We thought it appropriate to align our brand with these mythological creatures.
Nowadays this logo symbolises the absolute guarantee of the Merlotta brand.

Three generations, just one story.

A gradual development over a period of sixty years, accompanied by the passion of our family; a family tied to the secrets of the grape and the vicissitudes of the land. Our company has grown over three generations, with each of us making our own contribution, but always with the same spirit of sacrifice and expertise. Ours is a story of men and women, fathers and sons, well cultivated vines and great wines which have left an unforgettable mark on our lives.

THE DREAM

In 1962, Paolo Minzolini and Giovanna Mimmi, the founders of the winery, started to work as sharecroppers at the Merlotta estate.
On 28th November 1983, after twenty years of hard labour, they fulfilled their dream and purchased Tenuta Merlotta. The story of our brand had begun.

THE TURNING POINT

In the early nineties, their sons Raffaele and Nerio, with the family experience and their specialized knowledge took over the farm, added new wine cellars and purchased other estates. Adriana, Raffaele’s wife, the third pillar of the family, also joined their efforts.

MERLOTTA TODAY

At the beginning of the 21st century, Fabio and Marco joined the company, the beginning of the 3rd generation.
Today this forward looking winery, with 45 hectares of vineyards and high tech facilities, receives numerous acknowledgements from wine critics.

LOOKING AHEAD

Merlotta looks confidently towards the future and,
motivated by the desire to continually improve, pursues another ambitious goal, giving life to a new dream:
to become the ambassador of high-quality wines from Romagna all over the world.

Merlotta today

A BRAND, A FAMILY

Ours is a tough job that keeps us occupied from dawn to late at night, but it is also wonderful and rewarding work in which all members of the family are fully committed to their role and responsibilities. Even though we are always passionate about our work and pleased with the results achieved, we never feel satisfied and, driven by the desire to continually improve, we eagerly look to the future, impatient to face new challenges.

Nature and wisdom

“…nature should be observed, listened to silently and understood, not dominated… the opposite is pure illusion…” The key elements in our everyday work are the vineyards , the cellars and our people. The vines are at the heart of our work and each one is cultivated as if it were the only one. It is nature which decides everything and shows us the way to turn wine into art; we use our knowledge to work alongside nature. Absolute quality is the result of our everyday efforts.

VINEYARDS

Tenuta Merlotta is made up of 15 hectares of wonderful vineyards, close to the head offices and the wine-making cellars. These beautiful vineyards, loved and looked after like gardens, contribute to the unique charm of the hills located between Dozza and Montecatone. Aware that “good wine is made in the vineyard”, most of our work is focussed on the vineyards. A long and careful study of the estate’s soil composition has allowed us, over the years, to select and plant the vines which are the most appropriate variety according to the specific features of the soil.

CELLARS

In the cellars we treat grapes with the utmost respect and in silence we listen to the must as it becomes wine, then we patiently wait while it is ageing.

We still perform tasks resulting from centuries-old ancestral wisdom, bearing in mind ancient and unchangeable lessons handed down to us. We are still working as craftsmen, aware that each detail is decisive.

This is the only way in which we can create wines with a unique identity.

Territory

Our winery lies at the heart of Emilia-Romagna. Just a few kilometres from the Enoteca Regionale, which is housed in the wonderful setting of the Sforza Castle in Dozza, a medieval village that is listed among the hundred most beautiful villages of Italy.

This land is home to a number of world excellence sites: picturesque hilly landscapes and cities of art, important local craft initiatives and companies of excellence, delicious food and a very good quality of life. Emilia Romagna is found at the centre of the main Italian wine producing area, bordering with regions that are traditionally regarded as the most suitable for vine-growing at a national level: Tuscany to the south, Piedmont to the west, Lombardy to the northwest and Veneto to the northeast.