Bolla

The first cellar dates back to 1883 and was built at Soave a medieval town south-east of Verona by Abele Bolla. Aware of the high quality of his wines Abele decided to market the wine as Soave. In the ‘30s Abele's son Albano moved to Pedemonte in Valpolicella and established a company specialized in the production of Valpolicella and Recioto wines. In 1939 Bolla obtained a patent from the House of Savoy allowing it to use the royal coat of arms. In 1946 Ercole Sozzi proprietor of the Fontana Hollywood one of New York's most famous restaurants visited the Bolla cellars and made a large order (200 cases of Bardolino vintage 1943) which accelerated the introduction of Bolla wines into the American market in 1947. On 13 April 1953 on the occasion of Alberto Bolla's eightieth birthday his family organized a special party at the Hotel Cavalieri in Milan: children and grandchildren surprised their grandfather by bottling his preferred wine with a special label: Amarone Bolla Riserva del Nonno vintage 1950. Amarone's great fortune sprang right from this propitious idea as the Bolla brothers were the first to market this wine. In the meantime the number of admirers of Bolla wines continued to grow. In 1959 Frank Sinatra refused to take a seat at table without Soave Bolla. The cinema world contributed to the success of Bolla wines. In 1967 the Brown‐Forman Corporation became the importer for the United States and bought 40% of the brand four years later. In 1997 Rudolph W. Giuliani mayor of New York organized an event to celebrate 50 years of the presence of the Bolla brand in the United States market. In 2000 Cantina Bolla was taken over completely by Brown‐Forman which became the sole owner. In 2009 Gruppo Italiano Vini purchased 100% of the brand from Brown‐Forman while Banfi Vintners belonging to the Mariani family became the exclusive partner for the US market.