Casa Lupo by Paladin
Casa Lupo is the Paladin family’s Valpolicella “subsidiary” and consists of 25 hectares spread between the towns of Negrar and Illasi in the province of Verona.
Visitors to Veneto usually stay at Lake Garda or in “Romeo and Juliet’s” culturally rich city of Verona. But wine enthusiasts will be tempted by the Ripassi and Amaroni along the southern slopes of the central Alps leading down to Valpolicella.
Paladin’s vineyard team cultivates the vines here all year round and takes care of the harvest. Vinification and bottling is carried out by a local partner to ensure compliance with the legal regulations for DOC and DOCG.
The name “Casa Lupo” has its origins in the history of the region, where many years ago Valpolicella was almost completely covered with forests which were inhabited by several large packs of wolves. It was literally the home of the wolf, or “Casa Lupo” in Italian.
The white calcareous and argillaceous soils are used to cultivate the red grape varieties Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella and Molinara. The Mediterranean climate produces elegant, sophisticated and very complex wines, which delight visitors with their excellent drinkability and pair perfectly with local cuisine.
Travel tips for culinary and nature lovers
Gastronomy:
Trattoria alla Ruota
Via Proale, 6, 37024 Negrar
www.trattoriaallaruota.it
Antica Bottega del Vino
Via Scudo di Francia, 3, 37121 Verona
www.bottegavini.it
One of the best cheese affineurs in Italy:
Family Bernardinelli
I sapori del portico
Via San Francesco 48, 37024 Arbizzano-Santa Maria
Nature:
The idyllic national park: Parco Naturale della Lessinia
In the small Dolomites: Hiking area in the Campobrun nature reserve
White wines from Casa Lupo by Paladin
Red wines from Casa Lupo by Paladin
from Casa Lupo by Paladin
Producer
Viñedos Lacalle y Laorden
In 2015 the two families of Zapiain and Lopez de Lacalle launched the Izar-Leku Mahastiak project (today Grupo Artadi) in Zarautz/Basque Country, with the aim of producing a table wine as well as a sparkling wine with Txakoli as the base wine. Today this sparkling wine is part of the "Viñedos Lacalle y Laorden" company - just like the premium single-vineyard wine "Viña El Pisón", though this wine comes from the Álava/Rioja region.
Park
For many years Baur au Lac Wines has been Switzerland's exclusive importer of the sumptuous Cognacs created by Dominic Park. The story goes back to the 1990s when Dominic Park decided to leave his job as a wine trader in London to create his own cognac house with the style he wanted. This is summed up by a very clean vision of what cognac should be: insist on the best origins and a very precise distillation and ageing to give a high-class product in a modern, elegant bottle.
Château Raymond Lafon
Located in the heart of the Sauternes area, this winery comprises 18 hectares, 16 of which planted with 80% Sémillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc. The maximum yield by law is 25 hectolitres per hectare. The yields at Raymond-Lafon average only 8 to 10 hectolitres per hectare; in other words, one vine will produce only one glass of delicious wine. Over several pickings, the grapes are harvested one by one according to their level of maturity. In some years, this can result in up to ten selected hand harvests. This alone lets one appreciate the great value of this wine.