Bottega Vinaia is the outcome of a vision shared by Giacinto Giacomini and Anselmo Martini, two leading figures in the north Italian wine industry who, starting in the early 1990s, sought to highlight the potential of a handful of extraordinary vineyards in Italy's Trentino region. As managing director and chief winemaker, respectively, at Trentino's internationally recognized and highly successful Cavit winery, Giacomini and Martini were in a singularly advantageous position from which to pursue their dream and transform it into reality.

Their first step was to pinpoint specific vineyards within Trentino's picturesque landscape of mountains, lakes, apple orchards and medieval castles from which to source their fruit. With unrivaled access to Trentino's finest vineyards (thanks to Cavit's long-standing affiliations with 5,000 growers, representing 70% of Trentino production), Giacomini and Martini enjoy a unique vantage point from which to assess those sites that year after year consistently produce the highest quality grapes.

Bottega Vinaia's prized high-altitude, low-yield crus are located in the gently sloping hills of Trentino's Valle dei Laghi (Valley of Lakes) within the Dolomite Alps. Each of these quaint, historic farmsteads, locally known as "masi," is typically handed down from one generation of growers to the next and represents a familiar feature of the Trentino landscape.

From mid-afternoon until sunset, these vineyards enjoy the warming effects of the "Ora del Garda," a dry, balmy breeze that sweeps across Lake Garda and protects the fruit from external moisture and disease. Contrastingly cool evenings promote rich, intense aromas and flavors in the grapes. Harvests, conducted entirely by hand, involve a rigorous selection process before grapes are vinified on site under Martini's direct supervision.