VinNatur in Villa Favorita

Last weekend (April 9-11, 2016) about 150 makers?of natural wine introduced their produce in Villa Favorita, in the countryside of Vicenza, in occasion of the event organized by?VinNatur. VinNatur is an association of wine producers born in 2006 that every year holds this?event at about the same time of?Vinitaly, the wine exhibition held in Verona (April 10-13 in 2016), to give its associated the opportunity to showcase their wines.

vinnatur villa favorita — Villa Favorita

The wines presented at the VinNatur are as natural as a wine can be. There’s a minimal intervention in the making, both in the land, in the grapes and in the wine, there’s no use of chemical additives nor pesticide (for more information, check VinNatur website).

For me, what makes VinNatur so special is that the event takes place in a beautiful ancient villa, Villa da Porto, also called “La Favorita“. The villa was built between 1714 and 1715 for Giovanni Battista da Porto, based on a design by architect Francesco Muttoni.

The wine tasting is inside the villa; the upper floor still displays some frescoes, and gives an idea of the opulence of the villa during its happiest time; the lower floor is more rustic, looks like a cellar with archways. Some producers even brought a piece of the land where their vines grow; it was quite interesting.

Outside the villa there’s a beautiful garden, where a big tent was set up for food and drinks and some live music. Luckily the weather was great, so many people sat on the grass to enjoy their meal and wine, picnic-style.

On the side of the main building there are two “barchessa”, rural service buildings that were used as stables and host to the farmers’ families. Nowadays the barchessa are quite often more fascinating than the main building.

Normally Villa Favorita is closed to public, it can only be rented for weddings or events; so the VinNatur is a great opportunity not only to taste some great natural wine, but also to visit this little jewel.