Organic winemaker makes push on HK

A pioneering family-run Italian winery is hoping to raise the bar for organic wines in Hong Kong.

Italian wine has claimed the heart of many a Hong Kong wine lover and organic wine in particular has taken off in the city with new bars championing tipples free from fertilisers, insecticides and added sulphites.

So the family behind the pioneering organic Italian wine Fidora has found a natural pairing with Hong Kong’s dining scene. db spoke to sales and marketing manager Emilio Fidora about the origins of the estates which are based in the Veneto region of north east Italy.

Due to Emilio’s grandfather Guido’s forward-thinking attitude, Fidora has been organic since 1974, making Guido the region’s first organic grower. The estates in Verona and Venice produce Prosecco, Moscato, Pinot Grigio as well as Ripasso, Valpolicella and Amarone.

The Civranetta vineyard in the Venetian hinterland occupies an historical site among the gently rolling hills which was originally inhabited by wine-making Benedictine monks in the 14th century.

“It was formerly an agricultural centre,” said Emilio. “The the monks reclaimed the land to make novello wines of low alcohol content to supplement their diets when the water wasn’t good to drink.”

Now, the 160 hectares retain the same design as the monks’ creations with regular rectangular plots of land separated by ditches and trees to protect the vines from pests and destructive weather. Of the 160 hecatres, 35% is in non-production to retain the vineyard’s natural biodiversity.

Fidora is looking to become biodynamic and has hired an agronomist to oversee the next couple of vintages. With a focus on the Asian market and the increasing interest in biodynamic wines, Fidora looks to become a firm fixture on the Hong Kong Italian wine scene. Organic enthusiasts can find Fedora wines in Otto Mezzo Bombana and Tosca at the Ritz Carlton from May this year and at the Enoteca Italiana in Hollywood Road.