Dario Rota

If you’re ever lucky enough to find yourself in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, one thing is for sure: you'll be faced with so much quality wine, you won’t know where to start. Head towards the ancient settlements of Modena, and you’ll come across the picture-postcard village of Castellazzo. This is home to the Vitivinicola Rota winery, where traditional Lambrusco wines are made according to time-honoured principles, and with more love and passion for flavour and distinction than you could ever hope to bottle. This is a winery which takes its heritage and place in the Italian landscape very seriously indeed, and with 110 years of family history at its heart, it’s more than just a winery… it’s an expression of pride, of place, and of a truly wonderful approach to Italian winemaking.

The family business was set up in 1907 by Roberto Rota, a man who had grown up among the traditional Lambrusco vines of his region, and whose skill and natural talent as a winemaker quickly gained him a powerful reputation and plenty of fans. His son, Benso, built upon the foundations his father laid, and massively expanded the farm and winery he inherited. Fast forward fifty years or so, and the Vitivinicola Rota winery had become the definitive winery of Castellazzo, having perfected their techniques for three generations.

As the new millennium dawned, it occurred to Dario Rota - the great-grandson of Roberto - that in order to truly pay homage to his forebears and the wines they produced, it would be a good idea for Vitivinicola Rota to become a 100% organic winery. It turned out to be more than just a good idea, but a game-changing one. The smaller yields, higher quality fruit, and sustainable approach won this winery countless new fans worldwide and took the family business to new and exciting heights. Today, Vitivinicola Rota is at the peak of its powers and is looking to the future while paying plenty of respect to the past. For newcomers to Lambrusco wines, we can’t think of a better place to start!