Inama Introduces Third Generation of Family Leadership

La famiglia Inama vanta oltre cinquant’anni di attività nell’area del Soave Classico e dei Colli Berici; sessanta ettari vitati che esprimono al meglio l’unicità di questi differenti terroir.

The Inama family can boast more than half a century of producing wines in the zones of Soave Classico and the Colli Berici; sixty hectares under vine that express in all their magnificence the uniqueness of these different terroirs. A profound knowledge of the volcanic soil in the Soave Classico zone, and of that based on limestone and clayey red loam in the region of the Colli Berici has led to a rigorous study of each of their vineyard sites.

With Matteo, Alessio and Luca Inama, we have arrived at the third generation of the family to be actively involved in producing wine. The three young men, basing themselves on the work carried out by their father Stefano and by their grandfather Giuseppe, have introduced constant improvements in both the vineyards and the winery. A solid foundation of tradition, competence and viticulture that respects the balances of nature were the basis for developing ulterior sensitivity. «In the last ten years we have adopted a system of precision viticulture», the three brothers explain. «Each vineyard has been divided up into micro-plots and we have analyzed the composition of their subsoils and the behavior of the vines. In this way we have identified different types of husbandry for obtaining extremely expressive grapes from every tiny area within each vineyard».

A quest for balance and biological complexity represents the fulcrum of the company’s production philosophy. The family’s ethical approach, aimed towards totally sustainable agriculture (eliminating any kind of mowing and of chemical fertilizer, by producing organic compost and using green manuring techniques) has given excellent results over time and has allowed the terrain to become more alive. Ancient methods for working the soil and the use of very light, new tractors have permitted the Inamas to have uncompacted soils, in which an increase in the presence of microflora and microfauna has been registered and the roots of the vines can force their way deep down. Also, a particular pruning system has been chosen that allows the Inamas to keep the older vines – which were planted in the 1960s – healthy. Low yields and an organic / biodynamic approach, combined with intensifying the vineyards’ natural biodiversity, have led to the grapes developing skins that are thicker and richer in aromatic components. That’s why also our white wines undergo a skin- contact maceration up to 12 hours, developing greater complexity and golden color.

«We are seeking to pick the grapes at maximum ripeness, thus reducing varietal and vegetal tastes and giving more space to aromas and flavours that express the region of provenance. The grapes’ varietal notes therefore become of secondary importance, because we have available strong, distinctive characteristics that can be attributed to the terroir, which becomes the absolute protagonist».

Operations in the winery, too, aimed at preserving and highlighting the fruit’s high level of quality, are constantly and obsessively improved. Each lot of grapes is treated in a different manner, in order to give full value to the characteristics of that specific parcel. The final blends are extrapolated from these various small quantities so as to obtain an optimum balance of structure, aromas and enjoyable taste.

Following on in their father’s stylistic wake, the three Inama brothers are now pursuing an absolute culture of excellence, taking meticulous care of every detail of production in order to obtain wines that are extremely precise and display a stunningly harmonious and expressive taste profile.