The passion, dedication and hard work of a family who have always been winegrowers and winemakers. This is the motto that has constantly distinguished the Nera family since 1940.
From the very beginning, when Guido Nera – grandfather of Angela, Simone and Stefano, the current owners – started the wine-making business with a small vineyard inherited from his father Bernardo, vinifying both his own grapes and those purchased from private individuals. Thus began the wine trade in the various villages of Valtellina and neighbouring Switzerland, a region that was then very receptive and important for winegrowers.
In the 1960s, the reins of the business passed to Pietro Nera.
Throughout his tenure, he proved himself an unwavering supporter of the wine industry and local farmers, asserting that "wine is made and born in the vineyard", His foresight, through the acquisition of various vineyards from both local families and former Swiss owners, has led the company to own around 25 hectares of vineyards today, most of which are situated in the areas best suited to the production of Valtellina Superiore DOCG wines.
The 1980s saw Pietro Nera’s sons join the business.
They continued the important work of identifying and purchasing various vineyard plots, deciding to establish the first trellis-trained vineyards in the Valtellina Superiore DOCG Valgella production area, as well as experimenting with the planting and cultivation of non-native grape varieties such as Chardonnay, Incrocio Manzoni, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir for use in the production of IGT wines.
Shortly after joining the company, Stefano Nera decided to try his hand at white winemaking with Nebbiolo Chiavennasca, producing two wines (IGT Alpi Retiche “La Novella” and IGT Alpi Retiche “Rezio”) which are now widely appreciated by Italian and international customers.
Within the 1980s, the year 1982 was of particular significance.
In that year, Stefano and Simone Nera decided to establish the Caven Camuna Winery. The name of this winery, "Caven", has since ancient times referred to an area located in the municipality of Teglio (SO), where the vineyards are currently situated. “Camuna”, on the other hand, obviously refers to the Camuna civilisation, of which important archaeological finds have been unearthed, consisting mainly of engravings (also known as petroglyphs) on various rocks (stelae), some of which are currently preserved and on display at Palazzo Besta in Teglio (SO).
The Caven site is of great archaeological importance, given that the Camuna people inhabited Valcamonica for millennia (from the Neolithic to the Iron Age), developing metalworking and adopting the wheel and the plough.
