PRODUCTION ZONE:
The vineyards of our estate are only a few kilometers away from Orvieto. They are on the hills overlooking Lake Corbara. along the Tiber river, right above the road from Orvieto to Todi. This area, known as the "classic" zone, is the oldest and most well known wine-producing land in the Orvieto province.
An aristocratic house, that dates back to Roman era, probably controlled the surrounding hills, which are now covered with vineyards and olive groves. Archaeological research has shown that grapevine and olive grove cultivation in the Classica area dates back thousands of years to the Etruscan era. Along the Tiber, the ruins of an ancient Roman harbor are proof of the fact that these products were shipped to Rome itself.
In the medieval period, many fortified castles with watchtowers were built to protect the borders of Orvieto and Todi. Our castle, the Castello di Monticello was one of these fortresses: approximately one hundred people inhabited the grounds and were charged with tending to the surrounding lands, which were dedicated to grapevine, olive, and cereal cultivation.
VINEYARDS:
Our estate covers a total area of 80 hectares, 50 of which are dedicated to specialized vineyards as well as olive groves. In additions, new vines are currently in planting phase, which involves many innovative tecniques.
The nature of the argillaceous limestone-rich soil; the hill-top position; the proximity to the below lakewhich protects the microclimate from sharp variations in temperature; and our continuous agronomic experimentation and labor result in the production of excellent quality grapes and subsequently, to premium wines.
The wines are produced from grapes grown exclusively in the vineyards of our estate. Vinification is carried out separately for every vineyard in order to preserve their individual characteristics.
Orvieto Classico d.o.c. dry, medium-sweet and noble rot sweet wine with several selections represents our main production.
Different varieties of grapes (Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Semillon, Rhine Riesling, Moscato, Cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet franc, Pinot noir) are almost always blended with the traditional varieties of the region to createprestigious white and red wines of notable personality.
THE CELLAR:
The vinification is carried out in our winery, situated in the middle of the vineyards, always following the techniques that give the wines their unique regional characteristics. The winery was built recently and outfitted with the most modern equipment.
Immediately after the harvest, the grapes are destemmed with a German Company Amos crusher machine, then soft pressed using a Willmes pneumatic press. Some grapes are also cold-macerated. The various types of must become statically chilled directly in the stainless steel tanks for the best separation, and are fermented at controlled temperatures between 15 to 20 C°.
Some special wines are fermented and / or aged in 225-liter barrels made of French oak.
Bottling carried out in a complete sterile system, without pasteurization, in order to best retain the original distinctive features of the wines. This include Seitz sterile filtration, Millipore micro-filtration, and sterile bottling using Seitz tecniques and equipment.
In essence, as with the previous phases, we continue to use "physical" methods, rather than apply chemical treatments. This permits giving maximum respect to the natural characteristics of the wines and to ensure complete genuineness, which in turn creates wines that are extremely pleasant and drinkable.
Dr. Maurizio Castelli is the director of both the agronomic and enological operations.
MARKETING:
The average annual yield of our estate is approximately 350,000 bottles.
We export over 50% to the principle foreign markets (United States, Canada, Brazil, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Arab Emirates, Great Britain, Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, The Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, etc.).
In Italy we operate through a number of higly qualified multifirm agents and area distributors to offer our products from the middle to the top market range.
Fore more dettailed info please contact us at:
barberani@barberani.it.
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