Fattoria del Cerro

With an annual output of one million bottles, the winery in the province of Siena is the largest private producer of Vino Nobile. The owner of the holding company Tenute del Cerro, the agricultural investment company Saiagricola of the insurance company Fondiaria, is the agricultural branch of the insurer taken over from its rival Unipol in 2012. This sector includes farms in Tuscany, Umbria and Piedmont, many of which are dedicated to viticulture.

Since its foundation, the estate, named after an ancient oak tree standing on the property, has made a very important contribution to the international spread of wines from Montepulciano. It is headed by Guido Sodano, General Manager of Saiagricola.

In the first decade of this century, the winery underwent an enormous restructuring in the vineyards, the cellar and the sales department. Of the 170 hectares planted with vines, 93 hectares alone are registered for Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. In addition to the Sangiovese grape, the red varieties Merlot, Colorino and the rarely cultivated varieties Mammolo and Chardonnay are cultivated as white varieties. Since some areas are among the oldest and most important in the denomination, they have been selected for clone selection. Scientific research and development still play an important role in the Fattoria del Cerro today.

The vineyards reach an average altitude of 350 to 450 metres above sea level. The oldest of them are planted with only 3,300 plants per hectare, while the slopes planted in recent times have a density of 5,000 vines. The soils from the Pliocene are rich in shells and stones and contain clay. The Fattoria range, which alone includes three great Vino Nobile models, is without exception of very solid quality, so that renowned wine critics have already awarded top marks several times. The fine wines are sold at an unbeatable price-performance ratio.

Since the Fattoria del Cerro also has 13 hectares of olive groves, an extra virgin olive oil is produced here - as in all other wineries belonging to the Gruppo Fondiaria-Sai. Villa Grazianella also belongs to the property, a place of hospitality and relaxation for holidaymakers. SUPERIORE.DE

"What was started in 1978 as an oenological project with an uncertain outcome is today, more than 30 years later, one of the most important wineries of Montepulciano and the entire Italian viticulture."Gambero Rosso