Join us at home with your own wine tasting party for the presentation from Tenuta Sant’ Antonio vineyards in the Veneto region of Italy. It will be 8:00 am on Friday in Italy and our Hawaii presentation will be at 8:00 pm on Thursday.  They will talk about their wines from their award winning vineyard Tenuta Sant’ Antonio and sister label Scia.  Their wines are available locally.

RSVP: Required by August 3.

Wine availability: The wines are available through Tamura, Whole Foods, Fujioka’s and Foodland. You may inquire with them about special orders 

Presentation fee: $5 per party hosted by a Member; $10 for a party of non-Members

Zoom: Registered guests will receive a unique link prior to the wine tasting. Please setup your Zoom and familiarize with its features. You can review its short video tutorials (e.g., join a meeting, configuring audio/video, meeting controls, more topics) or full training (e.g., Zoom for education).

Presenter: Tenuta Sant’ Antoinio Vineyards

Tenuta Sant’ Antonio : Most of the historic producers of Valpolicella are located on the western side of the denomination, but the Valpolicella district stretches east across several hills and valleys almost to Soave, and it is in this eastern zone that some new, exciting, and innovative wineries have been established in recent decades. The soils in the eastern Valpolicella have a higher component of calcium carbonate, which imparts a higher acidity and bolder cherry fruit character to the wines.

Antonio Castagnedi was a winegrower in the Illasi Valley of eastern Valpolicella in the late 20th century who left 50 acres of vineyards to his four sons. In the 1980s, those four brothers—Armando, Tiziano, Paolo, and Massimo Castagnedi—began making their first moves toward opening their own winery. They had inherited 50 acres of vineyards in the eastern section of Valpolicella from their father, and in 1989 they purchased 75 more acres of top-quality vineyard land on the high terrain of Monti Garbi (also in eastern Valpolicella) and making the leap into wine production as a family, releasing their first vintage under the Tenuta Sant'Antonio label in 1995.   
 With their considerable combined winegrowing experience, the Castagnedi brothers devote meticulous attention to their high-density, low-yield vineyards to provide grapes of such exceptional quality that they require minimal intervention during winemaking.

The Scaia brand was originally intended only as a temporary outlet for young vines that needed more time to reach maturity, but the line was popular and served a purpose of its own. So, even as the reputation of Tenuta Sant'Antonio continued to grow and the recognition of their Valpolicella wines continued to increase, the Castagnedi brothers continued to make Scaia as a less expensive, everyday option. It also became an avenue for innovation, where they could experiment with new interpretations of the great traditions of Valpolicella and Veneto—for example, atypical blends of traditional grape varieties, or varietal wines from grapes that are usually blended. The resulting wines—white, red, and rosato—are strongly rooted in the region’s winemaking traditions, but with a fresh twist and at an affordable price

Wine tasting selection:

TENUTA SANT’ANTONIO "CAMPO DEI GIGLI" AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA DOCG.  Campo dei Gigli is Tenuta Sant'Antonio's most important vineyard, the source of the winery's flagship Amarone della Valpolicella wine. In the traditional fashion, the grapes from this vineyard are taken to the winery's drying room for at least 3 months to allow water to evaporate. The raisinated grapes have a high ratio of solids to water and create an Amarone with a classic style, concentrated and with balsamic notes. The vineyard name means "field of lilies," the flower symbol of the winery.

SCAIA GARGANEGA-CHARDONNAY TREVENEZIE IGT.  The Scaia project was launched by Tenuta Sant’Antonio in 2006 with the aim of creating wines with a modern style outside the restrictions of the denomination system. This wine is a blend of 55% Garganega, the grape variety used to make Soave, and 45% Chardonnay. The vineyards are located near the Soave area. The Scaia wines are very fruity and fresh, for young consumers or for those who want something different.

SCAIA CORVINA VENETO IGT.  The Scaia project was launched by Tenuta Sant’Antonio in 2006 with the aim of creating wines with a modern style outside the restrictions of the denomination system. This wine could be labeled as a Valpolicella DOC except that it uses 100% Corvina without the addition of Rondinella as is required for a Valpolicella. The Scaia wines are very fruity and fresh, for young consumers or for those who want something different.

Members: Login in order to receive discounted pricing (directions for Logging In).

Safety policy: All participants will comply with the latest guidance for group gatherings.

Note: The Friends of Italy Society of Hawaii is not responsible for any liability, cost, and damages which could arise from the programs; and does not provide any refunds, except if it cannot deliver the program, for instance in the case of insufficient enrollment.

Questions: Email us at info@friendsofitalyhawaii.org.