Cantina della Volta: The Other Side of Lambrusco
Written by Davide Gangi | Published in territory, wine 
Lambrusco embodies one of the most popular and authentic stories in Italian wine, but the very strength of its fame has sometimes ended up confining it to an image that is simpler than its true expressive potential. We’ve associated it with conviviality, freshness, Emilian cuisine, and that almost instinctive ability to bring people together around a bottle. All true. But that’s not the whole story.
Cantina della Volta starts right here.
In Bomporto, in the heart of the Lambrusco di Sorbara region, this grape variety found a family that chose to listen to it with particular care, entrusting it to the Metodo Classico and, above all, to time. Not to transform it into something different, nor to bestow upon it a nobility borrowed from other regions, but to understand just how far it could go while remaining deeply true to itself.
This is perhaps the first great virtue I recognize in Cantina della Volta: having believed in Lambrusco without feeling the need to change its essence.
In the glass, this conviction becomes immediately apparent. The Sorbara’s natural acidity transforms into a sense of tension, the aroma gains depth, and the bubbles become delicate and persistent. The lightness inherent to the grape variety does not disappear; rather, it takes on a new dimension, because the Metodo Classico does not overpower the wine but complements it.
When trying to showcase the greatness of a wine, there is often a risk of adding too much, overdoing it, or trying too hard to impress. Cantina della Volta seems to have chosen the opposite approach: removing what is unnecessary, waiting, and letting the grape variety and time find their own balance.
Over the years, Vinoway has closely followed this journey and has never viewed Cantina della Volta as merely one of the leading wineries in Emilia-Romagna. It would be reductive to limit its significance to the region’s borders. We have always regarded it as one of the exemplary wineries on the Italian wine scene, capable of building a reputation for excellence through consistent quality, research, and a clear vision of what wine should be.
It is an opinion that has developed over time, through tastings and that increasingly rare sensation of discovering, bottle after bottle, a recognizable signature—a consistency that never becomes repetition.
To understand the reasons behind this, we need to go back more than a century.
It was 1920 when Francesco Bellei began a family legacy in Bomporto that would span four generations. Wine became a part of the family’s life and remained so, passing from father to son along with knowledge, experience, and above all, that curiosity that is often the true driving force behind the most beautiful stories.
A key figure will be Giuseppe Bellei—known to everyone as Beppe—Christian’s father. His passion for sparkling wine production led him to look beyond the borders of Emilia and delve into the culture of the Metodo Classico, visiting Épernay and exploring techniques that, in those years, represented a world yet to be discovered.
I like to dwell on this passage because it captures well the spirit we’ll later encounter at Cantina della Volta: going elsewhere not to return with something to imitate, but to learn, understand, and then see what we have at home through a different lens.
Christian grew up immersed in this culture. He absorbed his father’s knowledge, his passion for bottle refermentation, the importance of patience, and that curiosity that prevents a winemaker from ever considering his quest definitively over. So when Cantina della Volta was founded in 2010, we were not witnessing the beginning of a story, but rather its natural evolution.
Even the name has a certain romantic quality to it.
Near the 18th-century Bomporto dock, boats had to make “the turn” to resume their journey toward Modena. An ancient ritual that today seems almost like an unwitting metaphor for what would happen to the Bellei family: changing direction while carrying their history with them.
Because a turning point isn’t necessarily a break. It can be a shift, a new perspective, the ability to look ahead without forgetting where you started.
Christian Bellei represents the fourth generation today, and his winemaking sensibility is undeniably at the heart of the winery’s production. His wines reflect a precise, almost silent pursuit of excellence, in which the Metodo Classico is never merely a technical exercise for its own sake. Rather, there is a desire to achieve balance, finesse, depth, and above all, that capacity to evolve that only time can bestow.
But Cantina della Volta wouldn’t be the same without Angela Sini. And I think it’s important to state this clearly. She doesn’t simply represent the company’s commercial and marketing side. She is one of the people who believed in the project from the very beginning and who, over the years, have helped shape its identity, reputation, and ability to engage with the outside world.
Her professional history also tells the story of an unexpected choice: leaving the banking world to help launch a new venture in the wine industry. Decisions like this are rarely based solely on professional calculations. You have to believe deeply in something, accept a certain amount of risk, and, above all, be able to envision what does not yet exist. Angela did just that.
Over the years, she has become an essential part of Cantina della Volta’s journey, supporting its growth and building relationships with industry professionals, restaurants, and wine enthusiasts. But what strikes me most is the natural way in which she manages to tell the winery’s story without ever overshadowing the wines.
In her, I see so much of that culture of hospitality that is so characteristic of the most authentic Emilia, where opening a bottle means, first and foremost, building a connection. Talking about a wine isn’t about reciting a technical description, but about explaining why it was created, who conceived it, how long it took to make it, and—why not?—also recalling the difficulties encountered along the way.
Christian and Angela thus represent two different sensibilities that find a natural common ground in the winery. On the one hand, there are the vineyards, the winery, the fermentation processes, and the bottles waiting patiently on their lees; on the other, there are the gatherings, the markets, the warm welcome, and that ability to share Bomporto’s philosophy with the outside world without diluting it.
Christian preserves the wine’s aging process, while Angela nurtures relationships over time.
And it is probably this human balance that has also contributed to the growth of Cantina della Volta. But to understand just how much Angela feels this project is a part of her life today, I think it’s best to let her speak for herself:
“Cantina della Volta was born from Christian Bellei’s clear vision and a family history deeply rooted in the local area. I chose to be a part of it wholeheartedly, bringing my own way of being to the table: energy, curiosity, relationships, enthusiasm, and even a good dose of stubbornness. Over the years, this project has become deeply my own, because every milestone reached, every challenge faced, and every encounter has left its mark, helping to build it and make it grow. When you choose to truly believe in a project, at a certain point you simply stop working on it: you start to feel it as part of your life. I believe in the value of people, in the strength of the region, and in choices carried out with consistency—especially when they are the most difficult ones. Because wine, even before it tells the story of a grape or a place, tells the story of the people who envisioned it and those who had the courage to believe in it wholeheartedly.”
Angela’s words perhaps convey better than any description what Cantina della Volta has become over time. It is not merely the result of a winemaking vision, but a project that has grown through the people who have chosen to share it, defend it, and make it part of their lives. Then come the wines. And it is precisely when you hold a glass in your hand that this story no longer needs much explanation.
The Lambrusco di Sorbara Metodo Classico is undeniably the emotional heart of this story. Not only because it embodies the region, but also because, in its various expressions, it challenges many of the clichés that still surround Lambrusco.
The color possesses that delicate luminosity characteristic of Sorbara, almost a transparency that foreshadows the wine’s finesse on the palate. The aromas evoke small red berries and floral notes, with an immediate freshness that, as the wine ages on the lees, gains complexity without losing its clarity. Then comes the palate, and this is where I personally find the most fascinating aspect.
The bubbles are fine, the acidity cuts through the mouthfeel with energy, and the wine remains well-structured. There is no heaviness, nor that excessive pursuit of complexity that sometimes ends up detracting from the wine’s enjoyment. Rather, there is a continuous tension between freshness and depth, immediacy and the ability to evolve. Time does not weigh down the Sorbara; it defines it.
And this is perhaps one of the most interesting lessons to come out of Bomporto: a great Lambrusco has no need to resemble anything else to be considered significant. It simply must be able to fully express its own identity. Alongside Sorbara, Cantina della Volta’s sparkling wine production finds further expression through Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The grapes change and the character of the wines changes, but a recognizable stylistic signature remains: a delicate perlage, freshness, depth that is never excessive, and above all, that clean finish that continually invites you to return to the glass.
After many years spent tasting wines, one comes to understand just how difficult elegance is to explain—and even more difficult to achieve. It does not necessarily coincide with power, complexity, or the length of aging. Rather, it is a matter of balance, of proportions, and of the ability to leave a distinct impression without needing to make a big splash.
And this, in my opinion, is one of the most fascinating characteristics of Cantina della Volta’s sparkling wines.
Vinoway continues to keep a close eye on this winery, which is precisely why it has been featured in our Vinoway Selection app for many years. Not because of the excitement of a single tasting, but because of the consistency it has demonstrated over the years. Because there is a substantial difference between producing a great bottle and building an identity capable of spanning different vintages while maintaining a recognizable philosophy. Cantina della Volta belongs to this second category.
Behind these bottles lies more than a century of family history, Giuseppe Bellei’s curiosity, Christian’s winemaking expertise, Angela Sini’s determination and interpersonal skills—but above all, a region that remains the true starting point. Bomporto, Sorbara, Lambrusco. Words that speak to a deeply rooted, folksy, and convivial culture of Italian wine, yet which can also convey precision, depth, longevity, and elegance.
Cantina della Volta deserves credit for understanding this and, above all, for having the patience to demonstrate it through its wines. Because, in the end, the most beautiful stories about wine are very much like those of people: they don’t need to deny their past to find a new path. Sometimes all it takes is the courage to reach the right point on the journey and simply take your turn.
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