Since the time of Ezzelino from Romano (XIII century), the hills of Gambellara were cultivated with “dry trees” schiave vines and produced a famous sweet white wine on the slopes of the San Marco and the Montesello castle. For at least two-three centuries it was the main vineyard on the land of the rich Trissino and Sarego families and it was cultivated on the hills and on the sunny sides of the Monte. Beginning from 1468 and especially during the XVI century, the Garganega vine became popular and in some cases it replaced the schiava vineyards in and around Gambellara and in the south-eastern Lessini hills areas. After a period of crisis, the uncultivated hills and coasts of the valleys were tilled and started to be cultivated by local farmers - former farm labourers - who had become vineyard owners.
After the Scala's and the Visconti family dominion, the land fell under the authority of the Serenissima and the Monte started to be used only for agriculture: cereals, pulses, Garganega and Schiava vines. The same thing happened to the woody and almost infertile areas of the eastern coast where there was an inhabited “contrà” (a country district called “Gazzi” - “woods”) where an historically important Dominical house dating back to 1553 stood.
Around this area, close to San Marco church, rose the houses of the Vignato and Cristofari families who for centuries worked the lands of the parishes and of the city aristocrats progressively making the woods and the coast fertile by cultivating vineyards, fruit trees and olive trees. At the beginning of the XX century in these houses equipped with spinning mills, water and cellars, Giovanni Menti arrived with his sons who continue to work on the Garganega and Torbiana vineyards producing the now famous white wine of Gambellara, the Recioto and Vin Santo, which became well-known beyond Vicenza as early as 1859.
Following in this tradition, established on the saline and volcanic lands of their own vineyards and cherished by thirty year of vinery experience, the Giovanni Menti azienda agricola was born once again and it chosen to follow with determination a high quality productive and commercial line that distinguishes itself all along the production cycle (short pruning, thinning out of grapes, thinning out of leaves, late harvest selection) and during the transformation process in the winery processing (soft presses of the fruit, essential treatments and soft filtrations).
The firm also produces Vin Santo by using the traditional systems used in Gambellara (the fruit is dried out on railings, the wine is made in spring and fermentation takes place in 50 litre barrels left in barns for three years) and Recioto which is made with the same withering technique. The Recioto matures in cellars, stays inside 225 litre barrels for one year and is then bottled in transparent bottles that enhance its particular colour and taste.
