Blog: Antonelli | Umbria

The beginnings of the estate are lost in history. In some medieval documents 'San Marco de Corticellis' is mentioned as a Longobard farm in one of the best locations for the cultivation of vines and olives. From the XIII to the XIX century the estate belonged to the Bishop of Spoleto; the present boundaries correspond almost exactly to those described in a XIII century document kept in the episcopal archives. In 1881 Francesco Antonelli, a lawyer from Spoleto, bought the estate. He began drastic changes and modernizations of the land and planting: a report of 1899 already speaks of a cane density of 5000 plants per hectare, as well as profound changes in the living conditions of the peasant settlements: '...because their health, as well as the relief and convenience of domestic needs, make them more zealous and suitable in work and more attached to their stables...'. Following this philosophy, the own bottling of the wines was started in 1979: a long history, a great passion for this land passed on and a passionate concern for the quality of the products.

The winery is located in the center of the farm, just below the old manor house. Recently expanded (2002-2004), there is now an underground fermentation room on two levels. It is designed so that the grapes can be de-stemmed, pressed and the pomace pressed without the use of pumps and long pipes that would unnecessarily pollute the must. This technical trick is particularly important for Sagrantino grapes because of their high polyphenol and tannin content. The barrel cellar and bottle storage are also underground, so that there is always a constant temperature. The current capacity is about 5,500 hectoliters. Currently, the average annual production is about 2,300 hectoliters with a total of 300,000 bottles.

The vines are planted only in the upper slopes, in the plains arable farming is practiced. The zones suitable for viticulture amount to 50 hectares, of which 40 are currently planted with vines. The average age of the vines is 15 years, the oldest Sagrantino vines are 30 years old. The grape varieties grown are mainly Sagrantino and Sangiovese, but also Montepulciano, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Grechetto is currently the only white grape variety, but will soon be joined by Trebbiano Spoletino. The vineyards are mainly south and west facing. The planting system is 'rittochino' (the rows of vines follow the slope of the soil). The training system is 'cordone speronato basso' (low wire frame training) and Guyot with a planting density of 2.2 x 0.8 m, totaling 5700 vines per hectare. Antonelli San Marco practices row planting of vines and performs yield regulation in the summer.