De Stefani

De Stefani family originates in Refrontolo, a little hilly village in Veneto Italy, as results in official documents of 1624. In the second half of 1800 Valeriano De Stefani, the founder, individualized the best soil where to produce wines with rare personality in the Colvendrame® estate in Refrontolo, on the hills between Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, north of Venice.His son Valeriano, second generation, inspired by his careful wife Angelina, began the tradition which the De Stefanis have always adhered: total devotion to quality with no compromise. Tiziano, third generation, went till the clay soil of the Piave area locating in the Pra' Longo® estate in Monastier di Treviso and the Le Ronche® estate in Fossalta di Piave, both north-east of Venice, a particularly suitable land for the production of wines with a great character. Respecting the ancient tradition of the family, he brought important innovations in vineyard management and in vinification. In the Le Ronche® estate in Fossalta di Piave the vinification, ageing and sales center of the winery are located. Today Alessandro, fourth generation, who has joined his father in 1990, produces under a very natural philosophy wines which are recommended in the most important Italian wines Guides. Turning native varieties to better account, he developed a world distribution network which brings the De Stefani wines in the finest restaurants and specialized wine shops of more than 40 countries in the 5 continents, with an annual production which is around 300.000 bottles from 100 acres of vineyard. Tiziano e Alessandro still today are the winemakers of the company and they sign, with commitment and passion, any single bottle released by their winery. The relationship between Hemingway and Fossalta di Piave will then be immortalized in two works. In 1929 with "A farewell to arms" he told with careful precision and highly dramatic effect of the Great War in Italy. Then in 1950 with "Across the river and into the trees" he got inspiration by the marvellous Venetian environment. In July 1918, by the current headquarters of the DE STEFANI winery, Ernest Hemingway was recovered after being seriously wounded during First World War. In 1918 when United States of America entered First World War, Ernest Hemingway left his home to come to Europe to join the military troops. At one in the night between the 8th and the 9th of July, the not yet nineteen years old Ernest Hemingway, disobeying precise orders, went up to an observatory point full of Italian machine-guns, called "Buso de Burato”, because he wanted to bring cigarettes and chocolate to Italian soldiers. Suddenly he was seriously wounded at his legs by fragments from an Austrian mortar which exploded near there. Despite his wounds, and under a continuous fire, he was able to carry on his shoulder an injured soldier and he saved him. He received a Silver Medal from the Italian Government for this. Afterwards Hemingway, who was seriously injured and fainted, was carried in the mayor house, which was later evacuated because it was attacked by the Austrians. Then he was brought in an already bombarded house, right where the DE STEFANI winery is today. There he spent the whole night and his wounds were so painful that for the first time he thought of committing suicide. Afterwards we passed many hospitals up to his final arrival to United States of America to be definitely treated.