The wine history of the family Riccardi dates back to the late 1800s, when the grapes grown in the owned vineyards were vinified in the old vat room of the oratory of San Rocco in San Colombano.
At that time, the wine obtained was used for own use or bartered with other consumer goods.
In the late 40s Franco Riccardi, after leaving the sport that had led him to Olympic glory with 4 gold medals in sword competitions , he decided to turn what until then had been a family passion into a business, giving a new image to the product obtained, bottling it and making it known on the boards of the people of Milano.
Subsequently he invented the name and the brand that still identifies the company inspired by the verses of a poem by Francesco Redi that reads as follows:
Con l'oro del sol ch'entro mi bolle dei sogni in dolci voli, allargo l'ali.
Mi esaltano i poeti nei lor canti definendomi Nettare dei Santi.
This led to the beginning of the 50s, when the first labels of the "Nettare dei Santi" were printed; this is a simple and easy to drink red wine that reflected the typical characteristics of the territory.
The Colli of San Colombano, full of history and tradition, were in need of producers who, taken conscience of it, gave them back nobility and importance, bringing to the tables, especially of the people of Milano and Lodi, wines with exuberant freshness and fragrance, and intense bouquet.
In the late '60s, after the death of his father, his son Enrico took over the family business and created two important wines that still symbolize the company: the Verdea la Tonsa and the Roverone.
In 1980 Enrico Riccardi moved the winery from the center of the village to the top of the hill among the vineyards, becoming one of the most fascinating wine realities of San Colombano.
With his wife Giovanna gave great impulse to his work investing all his energies in the care of the vineyards and in the refinement of the image.
Today his son Gianenrico, with the same passion and business dynamism, gives continuity to the history of wine-making family, realizing in the vineyards, even before that in the barrels, excellent products, respecting the environment and always looking to quality and innovation.
