BOLLA In Style Since 1883

1. BOLLA In Style Since 1883

2. Since 1883 Bolla has been passionate about wines!

3. Abele Bolla’s Vision • Originating in the charming village of Soave near Verona, Bolla was the vision of Abele Bolla, proprietor of “Al Gambero”, a family inn that is still in operation today as a cozy restaurant. • Abele poured his handcrafted wines for his guests and soon his passion turned into a successful business producing some of the finest wines in the Veneto Region. Throughout the turn of the 19th century, Bolla gained a strong following and the family business prospered as the Bolla label became a recognized and trusted brand in Italy.

4. Bolla... travels to the Americas • In 1939 Bolla was one of the few wine companies in Italy honoured by the House of Savoy and was granted permission to emblazon its products with the coveted Royal Court of Arms. • During the 1940’s thousands of Italians immigrated to America; the demand for Bolla wines in the United States followed. • In 1946 a New York restaurateur named Ercole Sozzi ordered 200 cases of Bolla Bardolino to be shipped, thus launching the classic Italian wine brand to a new breed of Americans. • As its popularity grew, Bolla wines were served in the best restaurants of New York.

5. Bolla...loved by the Stars! • A well known story chronicles Bolla’s early years in the U.S.: During the height of its stardom, an irritated Frank Sinatra walked out of one of his favourite New York eateries because “Soave Bolla” was not on the wine list! • For more than 50 years in the U.S., Bolla has established itself as the “Italian wine brand” that Americans trust with confidence. • World wide, Bolla wines have been toasted in prestigious venues that include New York’s Pierre Hotel, the Ritz in Paris, the Imperial in Vienna and Quo Vadis in London, to name just a few.

6. Bolla Accolades • Wine critics around the world have acclaimed Bolla Amarone for its exceptional taste and quality. • Popular American magazines such as Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast have rated Bolla Amarone among the top Italian wines. • The exceptional quality of Bolla Wines of Italy has been proudly recognized around the world. Coveted medals include: • 25th Challenge International du Vin 2001, Blaye-Bourg, in association with VinExpo, Bordeaux ; • 1997 Amarone della Valpolicella was awarded Gold Medal; • 1996 Creso received a Silver Medal

7. Bolla moments in history • 1909 : Bolla receives its first official award for outstanding quality, a Gold Medal at the Bologna Fair. It will be the first of many. • 1935 : Abele Bolla’s children join the family business. The Bolla name becomes a wine “brand” – packaged, labelled and sold in bottles rather than jugs. • 1947: First shipment of Bolla wines arrives in America – 200 cases of 1943 Bardolino. • 1953: Bolla is the first Italian producer to label and market Amarone (1950 vintage) commercially in Italy. • 1957 : Bolla becomes the first winery to market Amarone in the United States and the world. •  In 1989 Gambero Rosso defined Bolla as National Oenological Institution and representative of the Italian wine around the world •  1997: Bolla Italian Wines celebrates fifty years in America at a gala event at Windows on the World in the World Trade Center, New York.

8. Bolla Today •  2000: Multinational Brown Forman, that was already Distributor for the United States and owner of 40% of the Brand purchased 100% •  2001: Bolla opens La Cantina di Alberto, one of the first winery visitors center in Italy. It contains a Tasting room featuring a fresco-style mural by Veronese artist Lao K., historical niches, interactive stations and conference center. •  2009: Gruppo Italiano Vini bought the brand from Brown Forman and Bolla became Italian once again. • Bolla is the largest selling premium imported wine brand in the United States and is exported to over 70 countries worldwide. • Bolla is headquarted in Verona, Italy, with wineries in Soave and Pedemonte (Valpolicella ). • The Veneto region produces one of Italy’s largest quantities of DOC wines.

10. BOLLA EVOLUTION

11. Bolla’s Philosophy • Innovation in Bolla is not intended as a break from the past or traditions, rather an interpretation and evolution of its great history and philosophy. • Bolla has always had deep ties with its terroirand its historic suppliers from Veneto and Valpolicella. Hundreds of small farmers and producers are being supported and guided throughout all their activities; from growing, harvesting to all the necessary oenological practices. • This great sensibility in viticulture and ethics and the utmost respect for all the workers and working conditions are inherent in Bolla’s Philosophy which is an ongoing commitment .

12. Bolla’s Winemaker • In the frontlines of Bolla’s exciting “Revitalization Program” is Winemaker Christian Scrinzi. He was appointed as head winemaker at Bolla in early 2009 and has been the driving force behindBolla’s new style and taste. He has been a winemaker since 1989 and has had most of his training in the New World ( Chile, New Zealand, United States in the Napa Valley ) and in Europe, France. Christian’s interpretation of the Bolla Quality is tempered by his respect for the great tradition of this cellar. • Christian’s mission is a top-down revitalization with the goal of improving quality, starting in the vineyards, moving through the cellars and extending all the way to the finished wine in the bottle. “Quality means attention to every small detail combined with targeted actions aimed at excellence, culminating in a significant result.”

13. Bolla’s Winemaker “I think it's a great challenge to work on a historical brand so ingrained in the territory. The challenges do not scare me and the new Bolla wines are the result of a great team effort. We tried to create a quality that leaves its mark; unique and distinct; that portrays the history of this great winery.” Christian Scrinzi

14. Quality in the Vineyards • A centralised “Winemaking team” was created to continually evolve the approach of Bolla. Small producers give information on climate conditions and follow suggestions on the most appropriate treatments to adopt. This allows control and guarantees quality throughout the production cycle. • A large mapping process was undertaken in order to have maximum traceability to the start of the “quality track” already in the vineyards. For each varietal, an evaluation sheet is drawn up and a final score given to ensure maximum quality. This score is made through the analysis of three elements: Soil , Vineyard and Sanitary Status . • Bolla’s commitment to preserve the environment starts in the vineyards: pesticides are used minimally and only if really necessary. Recourse to the use of chemicals is minimized. The Aim of Bolla is a Clean Agriculture.

15. Quality in the Cellar • The cantina del Nonno (The Grandfather's cellar), the heart of the tradition, augmented in the course of time with 1700 barriques and 35 casks, still retains the Slavonian oak barrels dating back to 1883. Two very up-to-date and highly automated bottling lines conclude the production process, enabling the cellar to sell more than 15 million bottles each year throughout the world. • The cellar has received both the UNI EN ISO 29002 Certification and the Agribusiness Supply Chain Traceability Certificate. • Attention is given to sustainability, through the adoption of certain eco-friendly practices, such as cross-flow filters or electrodyalisis as a tartaric stabilisation process. Bolla has been following and developing these practices in the cellar.

16. Quality in the Cellar • Few wineries do as much frequent and accurate analysis as Bolla. In particular HACCP analysis to guarantee product safety and the health of the consumer. • Over 100 bottles are analysed everyday and at least 10 parameters are checked on each of those bottles, totalling over 1,000 parameters per day.

17. Quality in the Bottle • “ Quality in the Bottle ” is the point of arrival for Bolla’s evolution. • Quality is displayed through personality and character of each wine. • The aim is to preserve varietal integrity and express the terroir, while being attentive to the consumer’s taste. (Eg. few additives are used in order to preserve the primary characters of the varietal) • Focus is on Quality; on Products. Final result dominates processes.

18. Old Bolla vs New Bolla

19. Old Bolla + Love and Deep Ties to the Terroir: Sensibility in Viticulture and Ethics (A lot of Attention given to workers and working conditions) - Old Bolla was managed as an industry, and its wines as industrial products. Excessive standardisation of all the processes guaranteed maximum control, but resulted in standardised wines; wines with no personality and no character. These wines were technically correct but didn’t have their own identity; they didn’t have a “soul” and weren’t representative of their terroir. - Technological Approach: the same recipe was used every time. - Focus was on processes rather than on products. Processes dominated and overwhelmed the final result.

20. New Bolla (back to the Italian Roots) +Love and Deep Ties to the Terroir: Sensibility in Viticulture and Ethics (A lot of attention given to workers and working conditions) + New Bolla is being managed as a big winery and wines as artisanal products. + Standardisation of the processes doesn’t compromise the personality and the character of the wines. Wines are technically correct but most importantly have their own identity, their own “soul” and are representative of their terroir. There’s not just one recipe, this changes depending on vintage, zone, etc.

21. New Bolla (back to the Italian Roots) + Oenological Approach. It’s the Winemaker who produces wines thanks to his know-how and not to a standardised recipe, he has a series of levers and he can decide which ones to use and when. + Focus on Products (Through Quality of Processes rather than their standardisation) . It’s the final result that dominates processes. ( The Big Change of Bolla starts from the moment the grapes are brought to the winery )

22. Bolla New Wines

23. Soave • The New Soave was brought back to the original aspects and characters of its grapes, it’s a more creamy and buttery Soave. Its’ light sugary background is given by a small part of over ripened grape juice. • Soave in Italian means “soft”, the soft floral bouquet and clear pear and lemon flavours help this wine live up to its name. • Serve cool with salads, white meat, sushi, hors d’oeuvres. At a higher temperature, it releases perfumes and can be enjoyed with soups and fish salads.

24. Pinot Grigio • The new Pinot Grigio has a beautiful pale straw colour, it’s amazingly crisp and with lively taste of lemons, limes, peaches and melons. This light and dry wine is infinitely satisfying. • The new Pinot Grigio moved towards a more fresh and acid wine, characterised by subtlety of aromas. This is given through selections of different zones and soils where the grapes are grown. • Excellent wine with both freshwater and sea fish, and with white meats.

25. Valpolicella • The new Valpolicella is a soft sumptuous wine with flavours of berries, cherries, almonds, and raisins, enhanced with subtle oak, vanilla and spice complexity from aging in new oak casks. • More softness and roundness are given by the new blend, with more Rondinella (known for its characteristics of Softness), less/no Corvinone (normally used to add Structure and Spicy sensation) but Corvina (freshness and minerality). • Perfect with roasts and game, pasta dishes, mature but not pungent cheeses.

26. Le PoianeRipasso • This Valpolicella is made using the famed Ripasso Method, a technique of refermenting the wine on fresh Amarone skins delivering a complex, multi-layered texture and flavour to the wine. • Deep ruby red in colour with notes of black pepper and spice, this wine is velvety and exceptionally well balanced with black cherry flavours. • Delicious with steaks, chops stews and rich pastas.

27. Amarone • Made only in exceptional years, Amarone is lushly flavoured, intensely concentrated and silky-textured. • It is deep garnet, velvety red in colour with aromas of wild cherry flavours and a finish that is long round and persistent with cacao and spice. • Enjoy Bolla Amarone with red meats, roasts and grilled dishes, game, braised meat and all well aged cheeses.

28. GRAZIE!