Summary
Monte del Frà is a family estate run by the Bonomo family in Sommacampagna, a few kilometres southeast of Lake Garda in the province of Verona. It farms around 180 hectares of vines across four well-known appellations of the Veneto: Custoza, Bardolino, Lugana and – through Tenuta Lena di Mezzo in Fumane – Valpolicella Classica. The estate owes its reputation above all to a white wine: the Custoza Superiore "Cà del Magro", which has for years counted among the highest-rated Italian whites and has given the often underestimated Custoza appellation an international profile.
History
The estate's name points to the friars of Santa Maria della Scala in Verona, who worked these hills as early as the late 15th century – the first records of vineyard work date from 1492. "Monte del Frà" translates roughly as "the friar's hill".
Its modern history, however, begins only around 1958, when the Bonomo family leased land in Sommacampagna and built up a farm of its own. The second generation – brothers Eligio and Claudio Bonomo – drove the expansion and decided in 1988 to give up mixed farming and convert all the land consistently to vines. Another milestone came in 2006 with the purchase of Tenuta Lena di Mezzo in Fumane, in the middle of Valpolicella Classica: that brought Valpolicella, Ripasso and Amarone into the range. Today the third generation – Marica, Silvia and Massimo Bonomo – runs the house.
Location & Terroir
Sommacampagna lies in the moraine hills southeast of Lake Garda, a landscape shaped by Ice Age glaciers. The soils are correspondingly varied: gravelly, loamy deposits with a high stone content, interspersed with limestone and clay-rich patches. That mix drains well and keeps the wines lean and juicy.
Climatically the zone benefits greatly from Lake Garda, which acts as a heat store and evens out temperatures; the breezes coming down off the lake dry the grapes and keep fungal pressure low. In the Custoza zone and in Bardolino this yields particularly fragrant, fresh wines. The sites of Valpolicella Classica near Fumane are quite different: limestone-rich hills, terraced slopes and a slightly cooler, more continental character that forms the basis for long-lived reds.
Style & Philosophy
The estate's signature is precise and built for drinkability. The whites from Custoza and Lugana are fermented under temperature control and mostly raised reductively in stainless steel to preserve freshness and varietal aroma; the Custoza Superiore adds a longer period on the lees, which gives the wine texture and ageing potential. For the reds the house works with spontaneous or indigenous yeasts and long ageing in large wooden casks – above all for the Amarone, made from grapes dried very slowly and gently.
In the vineyard Monte del Frà follows integrated production under the Italian sustainability standard SQNPI: no chemical herbicides, encouragement of beneficial insects, needs-based drip irrigation and short supply chains for materials. The family itself describes its approach as a question of respect – for the soil, the origin and the people working the estate.
Notable Sites & Wines
- Cà del Magro, Custoza Superiore DOC – the flagship white from a single vineyard, made from Garganega, Trebbiano Toscano, Cortese and Incrocio Manzoni
- Custoza DOC – the classic, fresh estate wine of the appellation
- Lugana DOC – from Turbiana on the southern shore of Lake Garda, taut and citrussy
- Bardolino DOC and Chiaretto – light, juicy reds and rosés from Corvina and Rondinella
- Valpolicella Classico and Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore from Tenuta Lena di Mezzo
- Amarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG, plus the Scarnocchio Riserva – the summit of the red range
Awards
The Cà del Magro is the most acclaimed wine of the house: across many vintages it has been awarded the Tre Bicchieri of Gambero Rosso – according to the estate in a long unbroken run. International top marks have followed: Wine Spectator gave it 91 points, a benchmark score for a Custoza, and included the wine in its Top 100 list for 2021; James Suckling rated it 92 points. The reds from Tenuta Lena di Mezzo, in particular the Amarone and the Ripasso, also earn high scores in the international trade press. Monte del Frà today counts as one of the most reliable addresses in the wine country around Verona – and as the most important ambassador of the Custoza appellation.