Monte del Frà × Café Quenino • Tasting review
Updated: 2 hours ago
The allure of this tasting review dinner lies in its contrasts: salty salmon paired with orchard-fruited white wine, sweet crab and citrus with smooth Corvina, and richly sauced meats with two increasingly ambitious Valpolicella reds. The local-coffee tiramisù adds a Singaporean twist to an otherwise Italian-themed evening.
The Welcome Drink of a Monte del Frà “Scianco” Custoza Brut NV is a sparkling welcome and a sensible start to this sequence, offering a lighter introduction before the more substantial still wines. Here, the key qualities would be freshness, a comfortable mousse, and a clean finish rather than sheer intensity.
Capellini Al Salmone with the Ca’ del Magro 2023
The starter promises a pleasing interplay of textures: fine capellini, silky salmon tartare, and ittle bursts of salmon roe. The Capers sharpen the dish, while the dashi-kombu vinaigrette adds a savory marine undertow. It kept those salty, acidic sharp elements in proportion so that the salmon remains the center of attention.
Ca’ del Magro seems particularly well chosen. I would describe the notes as peach, apple, tropical fruit, thyme, and acacia, with a textured entry, freshness, and a savory finish, with highlights of apple, yellow fruit, and light anise. The attractive connection is between generous fruit and marine saltiness: the wine need not imitate the dish to complement it. It was layered, coherent, and unlikely to feel merely conventional.
Gnocchi Al Granchio with Casa Capitei Corvina “Lena” 2021
Potato gnocchi, flower crab, and yuzu beurre blanc make an inviting combination of softness, sweetness, and citrus. Nori reinforces the crab’s marine character, while Parmigiano Reggiano adds a deeper savory register. The crab is delicate, and both cheese and yuzu need a measured hand, for an optimized taste palate.
The Corvina makes this the evening’s most provocative pairing. Lena is a red wine, not a white; a soft, warm, velvety character with pepper and ripe berry notes. The pairing’s bridge is the butter, potato, and Parmesan rather than the crab itself and I see those richer components accommodating the wine’s berry fruit and supple texture.
The menu lists two meat dishes and two reds together, making this an opportunity to compare combinations rather than assume a single prescribed match, and I tasted both as my neighbour insisted I try both... what luck!
Filetto di Manzo
The beef tenderloin is supported by truffle potato purée, coriander and black pepper, asparagus, and truffle-infused veal jus. This is a dish in which the accompaniments do much of the aromatic work: the purée supplies richness, the spices lift the meat, and the jus provides the depth needed to meet a substantial red.
Pancia Di Maiale
The pork belly may be the more versatile wine partner. Confit richness is countered by apple, earthy celeriac, roasted fennel, and balsamic jus. That gives the plate several dimensions rather than relying on fat alone.
We had both the Tenuta Lena di Mezzo Ripasso Classico Superiore 2022 as well as the full-bodied Amarone Classico Riserva “Scarnocchio” 2018
Scarnocchio is the natural candidate for the more dramatic pairing. The Corvina Veronese, Corvinone, and Rondinella is apparent in the blend and its complexity and balsamic mountain-pine character in hastened in good faith. The potential connection with truffle, pepper, and concentrated jus is compelling. A complete mouthful with purée and sauce should give the wine more to engage with, which is what I felt with the Manzo.
The grandest pairing, with the jus acting as the essential link between the beef and Amarone is the ultimate. My preference is to begin with the Ripasso here. The appealing idea is balance: a substantial red beside rich pork, with apple and balsamic providing contrast. The Amarone offers a second, more expansive interpretation, particularly in a mouthful containing fennel and jus.
Tiramisù al caffè Quenino with Grappa di Amarone
The dessert gives the meal a clear local signature: coffee-soaked sponge, vanilla cream, coffee ice cream, and cocoa, with a good contrast of temperature and texture and the coffee bitterness preventing the cream and sponge from becoming monotonously sweet.
The grappa changes the character of the finish; this is a digestif alongside dessert. a subtle expression of the Verona-centric grapes with oak, dried fruit and spice and a characterful closing gesture, with the coffee dessert providing the stronger sense of place.
Conclusion
The menu is strongest where it gives richness a counterweight: capers and vinaigrette with salmon, yuzu with beurre blanc, apple and balsamic with pork, and coffee bitterness with cream.
Introduction • Monte del Frà
Monte del Frà is a family-operated wine estate in Veneto near Lake Garda, renowned for its Custoza and its refined, terroir-focused approach to Verona’s white and red wines. Located in Sommacampagna, about 15 km from Verona, it has been managed by the Bonomo family for three generations.
Identity and History
The name translates to “the friar’s hill,” alluding to the Servite Brothers of Santa Maria della Scala, who cultivated these morainic hills and produced wine since the late 15th century. The modern estate was established in 1958 when Massimo Bonomo rented rooms and fields at the former monastic site; his sons Eligio and Claudio later developed it into a dedicated wine estate.
Today, the third generation - Marica, Silvia, and Massimo Bonomo - continues the family tradition, with the older generation still involved. The estate’s philosophy emphasizes “culture, character, and territory,” focusing on highlighting the unique soils, exposures, and microclimates of each Veronese appellation.
Vineyards and Terroir
Monte del Frà cultivates approximately 200 hectares of vines: about 137 hectares are owned, and an additional 65–68 hectares are leased. Its vineyards cover Custoza, Lugana, Bardolino, Soave, and Valpolicella Classica, making it notably diverse for a single Veronese family estate.
Area | Terroir and Wine Character |
Custoza | Post-glacial morainic hills with white stones, providing minerality, salinity, and freshness; the estate’s historical and stylistic core. |
Lugana | Lakeside vineyards between Desenzano, Sirmione, and Peschiera; clay-and-silt soils and cool nights support refined Turbiana wines. |
Bardolino | Soils south of Lake Garda produce crisp, fruity, floral reds with an easy, elegant profile. |
Valpolicella Classica | Tenuta Lena di Mezzo in Fumane has 18 hectares at 330–530 m on mineral-rich volcanic soils, with strong breezes and significant day-night temperature variations. |
Winemaking Style
The estate’s style is precise, fresh, and drinkable rather than heavy or overly technical. Whites are typically fermented at controlled temperatures and matured reductively in stainless steel to maintain aromatic clarity; Custoza Superiore undergoes extended lees aging for texture and aging potential.
For reds, the estate uses indigenous yeasts and long aging in large casks, particularly for Amarone, which is one of my fave grapes on Planet Eaarth. Its Amarone grapes are slowly and gently dried, while Ripasso is made by refermenting Valpolicella on the skins of Amarone.
Signature Wines
Cà del Magro, Custoza Superiore DOC — the flagship: a single-vineyard white crafted from Garganega, Trebbiano Toscano, Cortese, and Incrocio Manzoni. It is noted for ripe yellow fruit, dried flowers, citrus, savory tension, and notable longevity.
Custoza DOC — the estate’s “business card” and largest production, a blend centered on Garganega and Bianca Fernanda, with Trebbianello also important.
Lugana DOC — Turbiana-based lake wines with elegance, freshness, and aging potential.
Bardolino DOC — light, perfumed, crisp red wines from old Sommacampagna vines.
Valpolicella, Ripasso, and Amarone — from Tenuta Lena di Mezzo; the high Scarnocchio vineyard is especially significant for the estate’s Amarone.
Sustainability and Hospitality
Monte del Frà adheres to integrated production and holds SQNPI certification, an Italian sustainability standard. Its practices include avoiding chemical herbicides, using cover crops and soil-remineralizing herbs, employing sexual-confusion techniques against grape moths, and utilizing drip irrigation to significantly reduce water usage.
The winery is also a destination for wine tourism, offering cellar tours, classic and multisensory tastings, blind tastings, wine dinners, picnics with views, e-bike tours, wine yoga, and horseback riding through the vineyards. It exports to 64 countries, emphasizing high-quality wines, family hospitality, and sustainable agriculture.
Monte del Frà is best understood as a benchmark Custoza producer with a comprehensive Veronese portfolio: precise whites shaped by Lake Garda’s moraines, fresh and aromatic lake wines, and serious Valpolicella reds from volcanic hillside vineyards. Its defining strengths are family continuity, site-specific viticulture, freshness and minerality, and a polished yet approachable expression of Veneto terroir.
Availability of Wines in Singapore
Monte del Frà is exclusively represented by One Minor Group, and available on OneCellar.com
Comments