Azienda Agricola Nettare dei Santi

The wine-making history of the Riccardi family dates back to the late 1800s, at a time when the grapes of the family-owned vineyards were vinified in the old vat cellar of the San Rocco oratory in San Colombano.

At the time, the wine produced was consumed privately or bartered for other consumer goods.

In the late 1940s, Franco Riccardi, after giving up the sporting activities that led him to Olympic glory with four gold medals in epée competitions, decided to turn a family passion into a business by renewing the image of the product, bottling it and making it known to the Milanese.

He then invented the name and the brand that still identify the company by drawing inspiration from the verses of a poem by Francesco Redi that reads as follows: "I was born from the hill of Mombrione, charming and old. Dreams foam inside me as I spread my wings in the gold. The Nectar of the Saints: this is how the poets glorify my name."

In the early 1950s, the first labels of Nettare dei Santi, a light-bodied and drinkable red wine that reflected the typicality of the area, were printed. The hills of San Colombano, rich in history and culture, were in need of winemakers that could restore their nobility and importance, bringing crisp, fragrant and intensely perfumed wines onto the tables in the areas around Milan and Lodi.

Towards the end of the 1960s, , Enrico Riccardi took over the family business after his father’s death, and created two important wines that are still considered the trademarks of the company: Verdea la Tonsa and Roverone.

In 1980 Enrico moved the winery from the town centre to the top of the hill where the Riccardi vineyards grew, thus becoming one of the most fascinating wine-making businesses in San Colombano. With the help of Giovanna, his wife, he gave a great impetus to the activity by investing his energy into a meticulous care of the vines and the creation of a refined image for the company.

Today his son Gianenrico carries on the wine-making history of the family with the very same passion and entrepreneurial dynamism of his predecessors, making high- quality products from the vineyards up to the barrels and showing great respect for the environment, with a firm eye to quality and innovation.

The wines being tasted