“OUR WINES ARE THE RESULT OF A DEDICATED WORK CHARACTERIZED BY GREAT PASSION AND LOVE WHICH HAVE BEEN OUR TRADEMARK SINCE A VERY LONG TIME. THESE WINES, CRAFTED FROM SPECIALLY SELECTED GRAPES, EXPRESSES GREAT PERSONALITY, ELEGANCE AND A DISTINCT NOSE. THEY ARE THE FRUIT OF THE DEEP CONNECTION THAT TIES US TO OUR LAND: TRENTINO.”

In 1945 my grandfather Giovanni, my father and my uncles set up the Simoni winery in Palù di Giovo in the Valle di Cembra. At that time the business was mainly commercial and we sold wine produced with grapes from our vineyards as well as wine made from the grapes we bought from farmers in the area.
Times were very different the compared to today. Just to get the wine to the clients required various means of transport: a cart, the train and the another cart sent by the client to pick up the casks.

The first important date is 1951 which is when the winery moved to Lavis. This was a major step because the premises were larger and my family was able to start selling must and wine wholesales to other wineries, especially in the South Tyrol. Not many varieties of wine were produced at that point: Schiava and Merlot red wines and Nosiola white wine.
Sever years later in 1958 the winery moved to the present premises and we began to purchase the best equipment available at that time: standing wine presses, new oak casks and cement tanks. The in 1965 we bought the cellars of the Palazzo Monfort house where we stored the cement tanks and the oak casks.
The 1977 was an important date because my father and after that my brother Michele and myself took over the winery.
To be personally involved is definitely stimulating. When I was a boy I used to help out in the winery during the summer and for the harvest, and I used to think of the things I would do if the business was mine. I saw it as a creative job, full of excitement. When I took over I saw it as a challenge but I felt very enthusiastic as well, although I was well aware of the difficulties, and I was ready to face this new adventure step by step.
So I have to thank my father who right from the very beginning believed in my abilities and gave me his support, welcoming any new ideas I had for the business. He believed in particular choices which might have seemed out of the place at the time but which have proved to be very successful.

Today we are going ahead with our wine-making business in a family firm with strong local roots which both respects traditions and seeks to improve quality. In the mid 1980s we realized we were ready to produce quality wines and be involved in all the stages of wine-making. In 1985 we laid down our first cuvee of sparkling wine. And then we designed the new Casata Monfort logo for the best wines that we produce.

The year 1994 saw the last great reorganization of the business. The whole basement area with the cement tanks was knocked down and a large room for the steel vats was built.
In 1998 we branched out the commercial side. We entrusted the sales of our wines on the Italian market to a distributor and then we developed contacts with partners in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Japan, Switzerland , Austria, Russia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Brazil, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Spain and Poland.

I should say that the growth of a company is the result of team work, where the team is made up of dynamic and motivated people. Arguments in the company, often lively, are common. Sharing common goals rests mainly on mutual esteem and trust between the people who now or in the past work or have worked with me, each with his or her own valuable contribution.

We believed that the future is to promote with persistence and determination the strength of this land. We are convinced that the future of a business like Cantine Monfort lies in specializing in projects that support the land and its potential. For this reason we’re working with the San Lorenzo and those varieties that make up Blanc de Sers: Valderbara, Veltliner and Vernaz. In particular Blanc de Sers started as a project to revive vines and plants in the Serso area of Valsugana.
Improving the land is not an end in itself. It is a complex project that involves various people: together with Cantine Monfort there are the landowners and the farmers.

During 2005 near San Lazzaro and close to our current premises, we finished renovating the family farmhouse called Maso Papa after the nearby river Papa. It is an excellent location and has a great vineyard. At Maso Papa we have built a room for tastings and for events such as activities linked to wine and food, seminaries, conferences and cultural initiatives, as well as a small flat for guests. We want to give a tangible sign of the interest we fell in the community and convey to people the dynamism and enthusiasm that distinguish us to be personally involved in various initiatives which only seemingly lie outside our main interest. While respecting our distinctiveness, we intend to enter the world of art and culture and offer events that do not just involved wine and food. We are sure that this is the best way to convey the philosophy of our business. Wine as culture together with a host of other projects. We want to interact with the people of this province, and to highlight our sensitivity towards a culture of reflection and dialogue.

Wine is a natural product, a product of the soil, it is not something cold, there is work involved. It is an art and every producer expresses his or her personality, uniqueness and enthusiasm. We want to improve on this while respecting the environment and people.
The fourth generation, with Chiara and Federico, has already joined the company with great enthusiasm, passion and desire to grow the “vineyard” that was planted 70 years ago now. We want to be present on the market with a very clear identity and concentrate on the special qualities of this province, we want to live our mark.