In the hills overlooking the eastern shore of Lago di Garda, this beautiful estate has been farmed by the same family since 1881. Matilde Poggi's first vintage was 1984, when she was 22 years old. Prior to that, her father's grapes were sold to another winery.

Matilde farms 3 distinct vineyards, totalling 30 hectares, and typically producing about 130,000 bottles annually. The vineyards have been certified organic sine 2009. The name of the winery, Le Fraghe, is taken from the name of a vineyard the family owned until the 1960s, but no longer have. 'Le Fraghe' is local dialect for wild strawberries, which are abundant in the fields.

Corvina & Rondinella are the primary grapes, and Matilde's deft handling shows the refined, elegant, aromatic heights they can achieve. 'Brol Grande', her single-vineyard Bardolino Classico is partially aged in neutral tonneaux - resulting in a stunning wine that is expressive and powerful, but not heavy (Brol = clos). Bardolino Chiaretto 'Rodon' is a dry and delicate rosé. Chiaretto is the distinct name for rosé/rosato used exclusively in Bardolino. In the cellar, this sophisticated wine is the result of blending two techniques – part saigné and part grapes pressed without extracting colour & tannin. The name Rodon come from ancient Greek for ‘Rosa’.

Matilde is currently President of the Italian chapter of the Federazione Italiana Vignaioli Indipendenti (FIVI – Italian Federation of Independent Winegrowers), devoted to promoting and sustaining the quality and authenticity of independent wine growers.

fraghe.com