Vigna ‘800 is a place full of stories: a winery and locanda, in-between an inn and a small restaurant. It’s both Gianfranco’s, the owner, his father’s and finally Valpolicella wines’ story.
Gianfranco Elampini, winemaker in Valpolicella, founded Vigna ‘800 in 2001 with a specific purpose: making good wine with the only grapes from his land, Valpolicella, and growing grapes like they used to do, as his father Gino taught him.
“I grew up in the countryside learning to work in the vineyard from my dad Gino” Gianfranco says. “My father was a farmer, coming from a very simple family. I started working in a pizzeria when I was very young. After serving in the army for one year, I opened my first pizzeria in 1984 with the help of a loan given at that time to those who got married.
My father had a small vineyard and he used to give the grapes to some local wine-makers. I went to Tuscany and I found my inspiration: I wanted to create my own winery and locanda, to host my visitors and give them both a wine and food experience. I found an abandoned house dated 1799, I bought it and created my small restaurant”.
Vigna ‘800, a 5 hectares winery, is named after an ancient engraved stone that emerged from the ground. Gianfranco’s purpose is a tribute to the history of yesterday and today. Moreover the winery has an organic certification since the 2016 harvest.
Gianfranco likes talking to people, meeting them, telling them about his story.
He welcomes his guests in his “locanda”, they sit at the table sharing good food and wine.
The experiences in Vigna ‘800 are moments to spend together in serenity. Gianfranco’s hospitality is at the base of the pleasant moments offered both at the “Locanda 800” and in the vineyard. Experiences for couples or small groups of enthusiasts, tourists or true connoisseurs in the cellar which is in the basement of the locanda, or in the vineyards.
“We welcome every year a lot of tourists in our restaurant and winery. A lot of American tourists have demonstrated to appreciate a special wine, which has a special storytelling connected to it.
El Campanar (the bell ringer in the local dialect) is the wine I dedicated to my father. He used to ring the bells of the village church and he is my roots” Gianfranco tells us. This wine is a traditional Ripasso, made with the Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella vines, planted in pergola trained system with an average age of 20 years.
Ripasso is a traditional technique of refermentation of the Valpolicella. With this technique the pomaces left from the fermentation of the Recioto and Amarone are added to the Valpolicella wine for a period of extended maceration.
