Phigaia After the Red

Phigaia After the Red is outstanding with braised veal cheeks or with rosemary lamb chops, venison stews, roast beef. Also excellent with medium-aged cheeses.

The vineyards are situated in the “Montello-Colli Asolani” DOC area, which extends to the north-west of the city of Treviso, in the lower foothills. These vineyards, which design slopes and plains, have become an integral part of a spectacular landscape. The area is represented by two very long east-west oriented strips of foothills and hills, joined by a lowland area and by the hills of Mercato Vecchio di Montebelluna and the hills of Caerano San Marco. The hydrography is characterised to the north by the river Piave and to the south by the Bosco Canal, which flows at the foot of Montello. This is an area well known for timber, which has always been used to build the foundations of Venetian houses. The soils consisting mainly of ferruginous clay, with a characteristic dark reddish-brown colour. The particular formation and favourable climatic exposure create the perfect hydrological conditions for growing great varieties, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Manzoni, Recantina and Glera. The training system is Guyot and plant density 6/6,300 vines per ha. Merlot is harvested at the end of September and Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc during the later part October.

Phigaia After the Red ages for 13-18 months in second-fill oak barrels. It then rests in bottle for at least 12 months and is released to the market after not less than 3 years.

After the manual harvest, the grapes are de-stemmed and crushed in the cellar. The fermentation is traditional: medium-long in stainless steel vats with a floating cap at a controlled temperature. The wine then remains in contact with the skins for as long as necessary in order to optimize the extraction of the polyphenolic substances and help start the subsequent malolactic fermentation.

From the first wine in 1987 to last year’s vintage, we have always only produced what we like. A choice that immediately required us to take account of what we had and what was missing in order to make it. Transforming what was not there, or couldn’t be transformed, into our strength, also through radical decisions, uprooting and replanting when required. Seeking balance in the vineyard and in the cellar, with a fixed idea about quality, about the production of great red wines. Choices that after thirty years have created the distinctiveness and character of our wines.