Masi Agricola

Masi's history begins in 1772 with the Boscaini family's first harvest from vineyards in the Vaio dei Masi, a small valley in the heart of Valpolicella Classica near Gargagnago di Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella. The winery takes its name from this original valley, and the estate has remained continuously in Boscaini family hands ever since. In the mid-1960s, Sandro Boscaini, having graduated in Economics and Commerce, proposed that he and his enologist brother Sergio take on management of a new branch dedicated to Amarone and estate wines, a decision that transformed the company's trajectory. Over the following decades, Sandro led Masi Agricola to a position of leadership in the Veneto, reshaping not only the winery but the entire Amarone category.

• Established 1772 by the Boscaini family in the Vaio dei Masi valley; the winery name derives from this original vineyard site
• Remains family-owned across six and seven generations; Sandro Boscaini serves as president and is widely recognized as 'Mr. Amarone'
• Raffaele Boscaini, seventh generation, leads the Masi Technical Group overseeing quality research and winemaking innovation
• Masi Agricola is listed on the AIM Italia stock exchange while remaining majority family-controlled

Masi transformed Amarone from a rustic regional wine into an internationally recognized fine wine category. Before Sandro Boscaini's reinvention of Amarone in the 1980s, the style was often inconsistent, heavily botrytized, and produced in an old-fashioned manner. Masi introduced greater fruit definition, fresher acidity, and softer tannins without abandoning the wine's essential character. In 1958, Masi became the first winery in Italy to bottle a cru Amarone from a named single vineyard, pioneering the concept of terroir-driven appassimento wines. In 1964, Campofiorin established an entirely new wine style through double fermentation, and Masi's sustained research through the Masi Technical Group has advanced scientific understanding of the appassimento process across the broader industry.

• First Italian winery to bottle a named single-vineyard cru Amarone, in 1958, establishing the concept of appassimento terroir expression
• Reinvented modern Amarone style: brighter fruit, fresher acidity, and controlled tannin in place of the rustic old-fashioned approach
• Created Campofiorin in 1964, pioneering the double-fermentation technique and founding an entirely new wine category in Valpolicella
• Masi Technical Group conducts ongoing research into grape drying optimization, native variety genetics, and fermentation technology

The heart of Masi's winemaking is appassimento: harvested Corvina-based grapes are laid on bamboo racks, called arele, in naturally ventilated drying lofts called fruttai, where they lose 35 to 40 percent of their weight over a minimum of 100 days. This concentration process raises potential alcohol and creates the dried-fruit and spice complexity distinctive to Amarone and Recioto. The Masi Technical Group uses computer-controlled monitoring of temperature and humidity in the drying facilities, cross-referencing data against historical vintage records to maintain consistency. Fermentation for the cru Amarones lasts approximately 45 days, followed by aging in Slavonian oak botti and, for the standard Costasera, a portion of Allier barriques. Masi has also contributed to the recovery of the Oseleta grape variety, used in the Riserva di Costasera to add structure and complexity.

• Appassimento lasts a minimum of 100 days on bamboo arele; grapes lose 35 to 40 percent of their weight, concentrating sugars and aromas
• Costasera aged 24 months in Slavonian oak (80%) and Allier barriques (20%); cru wines aged three years in oak before six months in bottle
• Masi recovered the near-extinct Oseleta grape, now used in the Riserva di Costasera blend (10%) to enhance structure and aging potential
• Double fermentation for Campofiorin: base wine refermented with approximately 25% semi-dried grapes, then aged 18 months in oak

Masi currently produces six different Amarones, demonstrating the range of styles achievable within the appassimento framework. Costasera Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG is the benchmark expression: 70% Corvina, 25% Rondinella, and 5% Molinara at 15% ABV, aged 24 months in Slavonian oak and Allier barriques. The single-vineyard cru wines, Campolongo di Torbe and Mazzano, represent the pinnacle of the portfolio. Campolongo di Torbe, from the Negrar commune at 375 to 400 meters on volcanic limestone soils, was first produced from the 1957 vintage, making Masi the first Italian winery to bottle a named single-vineyard wine. Mazzano, at around 400 meters on deep limestone soils and exposed to cold breezes, produces approximately 15,000 bottles per year of a more austere, mineral style. Campofiorin, the original Ripasso, celebrated its 50th vintage with the 2014 release.

• Costasera Amarone: 70% Corvina, 25% Rondinella, 5% Molinara; 15% ABV; 24-month oak aging; the winery's principal volume Amarone
• Campolongo di Torbe: first cru Amarone in Italy, produced since the 1957 vintage; volcanic limestone soils; known for elegance and botrytis-influenced richness
• Mazzano: approximately 15,000 bottles per year; 400m altitude; exposed to cold breezes that drive natural appassimento and a more mineral, austere style
• Campofiorin (1964 innovation): double fermentation with 25% semi-dried grapes; aged 18 months in oak; the archetype of the Ripasso style

Masi expanded beyond its Valpolicella core through a network of carefully chosen collaborations. Since 1973, the winery has partnered with the Conti Serego Alighieri family, descendants of the poet Dante Alighieri, whose estate dates to 1353 when Pietro Alighieri, Dante's son, purchased the Casal dei Ronchi property in Gargagnago. The collaboration produces prestigious Valpolicella wines including Vaio Armaron Amarone, aged in distinctive cherry-wood barrels. Masi also collaborates with Conti Bossi Fedrigotti in Trentino and Canevel in Valdobbiadene. In Argentina, the Masi Tupungato project in the Uco Valley of Mendoza applies appassimento methodology to organically grown Corvina and Malbec, producing the signature Corbec blend. The new Monteleone21 visitor center, inaugurated in 2025 and designed two-thirds underground to blend with the Valpolicella hillside, anchors the Masi Wine Experience program.

• Serego Alighieri partnership since 1973: the estate has been in continuous Alighieri family ownership since Pietro Alighieri, Dante's son, purchased it in 1353
• Collaborates with Conti Bossi Fedrigotti in Trentino and Canevel in Valdobbiadene for wines across the broader Triveneto region
• Masi Tupungato (Uco Valley, Mendoza): organic Corvina and Malbec blends made via appassimento; flagship Corbec uses the same bamboo rack drying technique as Valpolicella
• Monteleone21 (2025): new wine tourism hub designed two-thirds underground in Sant'Ambrogio di Valpolicella; includes tasting rooms, wine shop, and the Locanda Costasera dining space

Masi's Amarone expressions are among Italy's most reliably age-worthy wines. The grapes lose 35 to 40 percent of their weight during appassimento, creating the structural backbone necessary for long cellaring. The two cru wines, Campolongo di Torbe and Mazzano, reward patience of 20 to 30 years or more, with the 1967 Campolongo still described as in excellent condition at 50 years of age. Costasera Amarone from strong vintages has a documented longevity of 30 or more years. The winery preserves 10 percent of bottles from every vintage since the 1980s in its historic cellar at Gargagnago, with many back vintages available through the Masi wine shop and Monteleone21. Campofiorin (Ripasso) is more approachable young and is best within 10 to 15 years of the vintage.

• Cru Amarones (Campolongo di Torbe, Mazzano) age 20 to 30+ years; documented examples from the 1960s still performing at 50 years
• Costasera Amarone: serve at 18 to 20 degrees Celsius after extended decanting; peak drinking window opens after 8 to 10 years from vintage
• Campofiorin Ripasso: more approachable young; optimal drinking window 5 to 15 years from vintage
• Masi maintains a back-vintage library with 10% of all vintages since the 1980s, accessible through its wine shop and Monteleone21