Valtènesi: a vision of a “rosé” love story that began on Lake Garda in 1896 and has grown stronger over time through a rare and dedicated philosophy
September 9, 2026 (Moniga del Garda, Italy) — “Rosé wine is, above all, culture: a culture born from dedicated viticulture and from an idea of balance between light and aromas. Valtènesi has preserved this tradition for 130 years, demonstrating that a great rosé is the most authentic expression of the delicate relationship between time and human intuition.” This is how Mattia Vezzola sums up the philosophy that defines Costaripa’s identity.
RosaMara is a rosé created through a process of “subtraction”, expressing the desire and determination to strip away everything superfluous. RosaMara’s color is internationally recognized as “powder pink”: a shade that could simply be described as pale pink, yet instead becomes a symbol of elegance, romanticism, and purity.
These wines are born in a naturally harmonious and gentle landscape, where the fresh morning light helps ripen a rare grape variety such as Groppello Gentile, which over the past 2,000 years has found its natural habitat only here, embodying a concept of quality that respects life.
On the D’Annunzio shore of Lake Garda, figures such as the poet Catullus, the writer Goethe, the painter Klimt, Gabriele D’Annunzio and Maria Callas have all lived or spent time, bearing witness to the beauty of this landscape, the many stories it has to tell and the depth of the pursuit of quality that has always characterized the people of this territory.
In a context in which rosé wine, due to a lack of communication and perceived value, was for many years regarded as a choice or as a blend somewhere between white and red wine, Costaripa has always embraced a completely different perspective. An outstanding rosé can only be born in a territory naturally suited to its production, from viticulture conceived from the outset to express this identity, and from a philosophy that, as mentioned, places the relationship between people, identity and savoir-faire at its heart.
It is a choice that requires time, experience and the ability to observe across generations. Shaping a territory and pursuing a production process capable of combining elegance, depth and longevity requires at least three generations and a hundred years.
For this reason, RosaMara Valtènesi Riviera del Garda Classico DOC expresses its personality only through dedicated viticulture and an enduring relationship between the subsoil, the land above it, the sun and human intervention. Viticulture is first and foremost about observation, interpretation and decision-making. It means working alongside nature without forcing it, respecting the character of every vineyard and every exposure, while enhancing their differences. It is from this attention to detail that a style emerges, one capable of expressing consistency over time without sacrificing the individuality of each vintage.
Valtènesi, with its mild climate, the breezes from Lake Garda and its soils of morainic origin, offers unique conditions for this approach to winegrowing. This natural balance allows the grapes to ripen slowly while preserving freshness, tension and elegance. It is precisely this harmony between the environment and human work that makes rosé not simply a wine to drink, but an authentic expression of its territory.
From this perspective, rosé also becomes a cultural expression. It tells a story shaped by landscape, tradition, research and generational continuity. It preserves a body of knowledge that is renewed with every harvest without losing its connection to its roots, demonstrating how innovation and memory can coexist within the same winemaking philosophy.
This vision takes shape in the wines Costaripa dedicates to rosé, each offering a different interpretation of Valtènesi and its wine culture. From RosaMara Valtènesi Riviera del Garda Classico DOC, the emblem of the winery’s style and an expression of the balance between elegance, freshness and depth, to Molmenti Valtènesi Riviera del Garda Classico DOC, created in 1992 to demonstrate rosé’s extraordinary capacity to evolve and considered one of the two most authoritative expressions of this style in Europe. Alongside them is Palmargentina, which reveals a softer, more convivial side of the winery’s production while remaining firmly rooted in the same philosophy.
