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Tasting the top bottles of the Veneto’s Giusti Wine
One of Italy’s rising stars, Giusti Wine, now has a range of labels from across the Veneto, taking in Bordeaux varieties, hybrids and relic grapes – and we taste the highlights.
Established in 2000 at Nervesa della Battaglia with just two hectares of land, Giusti Wine now has over 70 hectares under vine sitting within a 100 hectare estate.
Owner Ermenegildo Giusti, originally from the province of Treviso, emigrated to Canada as a young boy, but his links to his motherland remained strong.
Returning to Italy, he invested in the wine industry, first focusing on the Glera grape for Prosecco production, as well as other indigenous grape varieties that were in danger of extinction, including Recantina.
More recently, he has also trialled hybrid grapes to reduce the reliance on fungicides, and the results with Sauvignon Nepis are particularly exciting.
Producing extra brut, brut and extra dry versions of its Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG, Giusti also makes Augusto DOC Montello, a red wine made with Recantina grape, and Antonio Rosso del Veneto IGT, where the indigenous grape is used in a Bordeaux-style blend.
Its flagship wine, Umberto I Rosso del Veneto IGT, is aged in barrels for 24 to 36 months. More recently, the company launched its Giusti Rosé Spumante Brut, a blend of Pinot Nero, Chardonnay and Recantina.
While Giusti’s wine production is focused on the DOCG Asolo Prosecco and DOC Montello – Colli Asolani, it also has vineyards in the western Veneto in the Valpolicella Classica and Val d’Illasi areas, where it produces its Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG and its Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore DOC.
Below we have brought you a selection of tasting notes from some of Giusti’s most impressive and innovative wines.
Giusti, Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Brut by Graziana Grassini
An inviting, youthful, clean nose with notes of ripe lemon, fresh pear, peach and a touch of cream. On the palate there’s an appealing mix of crisp apple and citrus zest with some riper notes of peach, pear and a hint of honeydew melon. Flavour-wise, it’s intense, and there’s a creamy-texture from fine-stream of persistent bubbles. The finish is tangy, fresh and dry, with a lingering note of orange peel and grapefruit pith, and a touch of chalk too. In short, a creamy but clean and refreshing fizz. (Patrick Schmitt MW, July 2023)
Giusti, Longheri Pinot Grigio delle Venezie, 2021
A light, fresh white wine with appealing peach and pear aromas and flavours, and a touch of cream, complemented by lingering notes of crisp apple and zesty lemon, along with a delicate chalky-textured tannin, giving a tangy, gently bitter, dry finish. (Patrick Schmitt MW, July 2023)
Giusti, Sant’Eustachio Sauvignon Nepis IGT Veneto 2021
Youthful, clean, pungent Sauvignon Blanc-like aromatics from pear and passion fruit to orange blossom, tangerine and a hint of freshly-struck match.
On the palate, there’s some oily richness to the texture, supported by notes of sweet orange and ripe pear, although the finish is dry and very fresh, even slightly sharp, with lingering flavours of zesty citrus, nettle and lemongrass.
In essence, an intense, aromatic, dry and bright white wine with cool-climate Sauvignon characters. (Patrick Schmitt MW, July 2023)
Giusti, Augusto Recantina DOC Montello e Colli Asolani 2020
A deep ruby red wine with youthful and intense aromatics ranging from dark chocolate to cedar, along with blackcurrant and baked cherries. The palate is lovely, with layers of appealing characters, including cracked black pepper, cassis, and fresh plums, as well as a touch of cherry stone on the finish, which mingles with a lingering note of cigar box. The wine has ripe fruit, but a very dry, taut structure, with firm tannins, moderate alcohol, and a bright-tasting acidity. (Patrick Schmitt MW, July 2023)
Giusti, Umberto I 2019 Montello Rosso DOCG Superior
A deeply coloured ruby-red with enticing aromas of sweet cherry, blood orange and cedar. In the mouth, there’s stewed blackberry, cassis, raspberry and redcurrant, then sour cherry to refresh, mixed with notes of cigar box and tangerine. Dense and ripe, but dry and bright too, there’s plenty of grippy tannin and mouth-watering acidity to offset the fleshy fruit that dominates in this fine wine. (Patrick Schmitt MW, July 2023)
