TESTE DURE
ALFREDO E MARIANO BUGLIONI
NEVER DREAMED OF BECOMING WINEMAKERS
In 1993, Alfredo bought the old farmhouse of his dreams, in the heart of Valpolicella Classico. With the property came a 4 hectares vineyard planted to the local red varieties Corvina, Corvinone, Molinara and Rondinella.
They had no idea what to do with that year's harvest. So they approached the best wineries, offering their harvest. For seven years they continued to donate their grapes.
With the vintage of 2000, they embarked on their first serious efforts in winemaking. They enlisted a consultant to set up their cellars beneath the farmhouse and to produce the first vintage of 12.000 bottles. In 2001, oenologist Diego Bertoni joined the company and remains the head of the winery to this day.
In 2004, Buglioni's first Amarone was ready. Mariano went out to sell it. "I knocked on the doors of agents and restaurateurs and each had the same response: This is just a hobby for you. Why should we bother with a winery that might not be around in three years?"
The Buglioni family knew they had to do something different to bring their wines to the public. So, in January 2005, they transformed one of their shops in the center of Verona into a wine bar. Osteria del Bugiardo quickly became a success. The wine was well-received.
Buglioni now cultivates 50 hectares of vineyards in Valpolicella Classica, 5 in Lugana, and 5 in the Bardolino area, all organic since 2019. A new winery is under construction, ready to embrace new challenges. Buglioni produces distinctive wines and, alongside the classic Valpolicella types, offers some more unconventional and pure varieties that reveal the authentic character of the territory and native grape varieties.
Now, after nearly 30 years, Buglioni has become a wine producer: "Wine is a passion for us. You have to follow nature, and you have to touch everything."
