Gozitan restaurant Vini e Capricci takes pride in developing and nurturing relationships with their suppliers. One such supplier is the Italian winery, Zýmē.

Admired and respected for their ethics, vision, and innovation in all aspects of wine making, Vini e Capricci is proud to have Zýmē wines as part of their collection. 

So, what makes Zýmē so special?

The name Zýmē is derived from the Greek word for "leavening," which is a crucial element in the field of winemaking. However, it also holds a symbolic meaning that emphasises naturalness, which is a core value in the work and personal journey of Celestino Gaspari, the winery’s founder.

In line with this philosophy, the company's logo features a vine leaf with a pentagon inscribed within it, which symbolises the five main elements necessary for wine production: human, cork, earth, sun, and water.

Zýmē’s philosophy is based on the principles of sustainability and excellence in production. They believe that it is equally important to improve people's lives and the environment while producing internationally renowned wines.

To achieve this, the winery has started a sustainability journey that begins with mapping their ecological footprint and assessing the processes and their direct and indirect impact on the environment and society.

Zýmē highly believe that understanding the limits of nature is crucial for making innovative decisions that are sustainable for the future.

The winery’ founder, Celestino Gaspari, has been working in the agricultural sector for over 40 years. He started working the land as a boy using traditional techniques and later experimented with innovations proposed by the chemical and biotechnology industry.

However, he observed that there was not always a good synergy between technological research and returning the land to new procedures. This paradoxical situation resulted in soil depletion and a decrease in its capacity for self-protection by microflora and microfauna.

As a result, Celestino re-evaluated his company's principles and aimed to establish a new balance between nature and man. His vision is that the earth should not be manipulated but cared for and valued, hence why a new relationship with nature is a priority for Zýmē.

The Zýmē winery is located in the heart of the Valpolicella Classica, and its ancient sandstone quarry that dates back to the 15th century. This quarry represents the strong connection between the Zýmē philosophy and the identity of the territory.

It is an underground landscape of great beauty and charisma, linking the past traditions with the future of innovation. This place serves as a convergence between nature, culture, and history and provides the foundation for the Zýmē winery. It is a magical cave where the wine is refined year after year until it is bottled.

The cellar is built on the limestone quarry dating back to 1400AD and is a physical and symbolic representation of the synergy between nature and history. The design of the cellar is in harmonious dialogue with the memory of the place, enhancing its characteristics and meeting the production needs of wine authenticity during storage and ageing. This is ensured by the absence of sunlight and thermal stability.

The cellar's base body is covered with the stone extracted during the excavation phase, and the explicit holes are accompanied by steel inserts that recall the environment of the existing quarry. The external profile of the cellar and the planting of the hanging gardens create a rough and irregular course that mitigates the visual impact of the base body and balances with the side of the hilly amphitheatre in via Cà del Pipa. When viewed from above, the cellar structure recalls the pentagon shape of a vine leaf, which is the Zýmē logo.

The philosophy and incredible techniques behind such a winery are impressive. Ordering a sustainable bottle of Zýmē wine at Vine e Capricci definitely will not be a choice to regret!