The first grape harvest in two centuries |
|
Thanks to the Soldera family, the vineyards of Parrano have come back to life after two centuries. Urged on by a true passion for nature and cultivating grapes, they planted 35 hectares of vineyards to produce wine of the highest quality and enhance a land that since time immemorial deserves to be remembered for the beauty of its landscape and the wine it produces. Winemaking here has roots that go far back into history. Already in Etruscan times, first, and the Roman Era, later, it was renowned for its wine, as well as its thermal springs. The Soldera family, together with oenologist Roccardo Cotarella, spent years studying the pedo-climatic characteristics of the land around the Principality of Parrano. They then chose to plant 15 hectares with white grapes, mostly Chardonnay, and 20 hectares of red grapes: Pinot Nero, Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Montepulciano. These varieties were chosen because of the exceptional altitude of the terrain – 500 to 700 meters above sea level – and the silt-clayey earth. These characteristics led them to choose grape varieties whose qualities thrive in these conditions: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for making classic method spumante of extraordinary quality, and the Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Montepulciano to make wonderful red wines. All together they strive to give the area back its fame as an excellent wine-growing region. The estate of the Principality of Parrano covers a vast area th at goes from the Chiani Valley, from Mount Nibbio di Ficulle to Mount Cetona, from Città della Pieve to Monteleone d’Orvieto, and from Montegabbione all the way to the highlands of Montegiove – some 1,200 hectares of uncontaminated nature. The ongoing research, aimed at qualitative improvements, respect for nature and the love we have for the work we do all contribute to ensuring that the Principality of Parrano remains the paragon of a culture and a unique life style. The winery, which has modern and efficient wine-making equipment so that we can conserve and fully enhance the great wine-making heritage the estate enjoys, is currently being built surrounded by its vineyards. In the thousand-year old cellars of the Castello di Parrano the bubbles of the spumante are being refined in their bottles sitting in a dry 12°C temperature in pupitres, while the red wines mature in wood barrels in their own humid (70-80%) 14°C cellar. The wines that will be made by the estate are: Spumante Metodo Classico (Chardonnay), Spumante Rosè Metodo Classico (Pinot Nero), a fine red whose varietal combination is still being studied and a pure, single variety red. |
