Dal Forno Romano

Dal Forno Romano was founded in 1983 in Val d’Illasi, on the eastern side of Valpolicella, when Romano Dal Forno took over his family’s vineyards and began making wine under his own name. An early meeting with Giuseppe Quintarelli helped reshape his ideas about viticulture and winemaking, and today the estate is led by Romano’s son Marco.

The vineyards extend across 34 hectares, 18 of them owned, at roughly 280 to 350 meters above sea level. Val d’Illasi’s alluvial soils mix gravel, silt, clay and marine fossils, while the valley’s exposure and steady ventilation are important both for ripening and for the appassimento process that defines the region.

The estate works primarily with Corvina, Croatina, Rondinella and Oseleta, planted at unusually high density with very low yields per vine. In both vineyard and cellar, the philosophy is one of extreme precision — rigorous selection, controlled drying and close attention to freshness — applied to Amarone, Valpolicella and the rare Vigna Seré.