The history of Castelvecchio

Welcome in the big Castelvecchio family, where borned authentic wines express caratteristic of the soil and of the people who made it

The Castelvecchio Agricultural Estate is located in Terricciola, a hilltop village in the Tuscan province of Pisa which originated as on Etruscan hamlet over the Sterza waterway where the Era and Cascina valleys converge. The 59 acre (24 hectare) estate property is divided into land for sowing, olive and fruit groves, of which six are vineyard. The nucleus of the original estate, a charming farmhouse and its surrounding land, has been inabited and cultivated by the Pantani family since 1956. Love for the land is something that is  handed down from generation to generation.

In 2002, Claudia, the youngest daughter, and her stone mason brothers and cousins decided to rally together to resume the cultivation of wine on their estate. The entire family got engaged in the enterprise, finding solutions to challenges and realizing the project together, with the labor of their own hands. The vineyard was planted and winery built, woodden doors hand-carved, and frames constructed for the cane mats to dry grapes for Vin Santo. Attention has been given to every last detail with dedicated family “know how” and loving care. Castelvecchio is the realization of a dream and the fruition of a passion. The characteristic wines express respect for the soil, the nature of  local traditions, and the dignity of careful work in the vineyard and winery to create top quality wine. The management is familiar and the way in which tradition is based on art and the territory in which they are born and grow. Visiting the company means enjoying a moment of relaxation, in harmony with nature, sipping a glass of excellent wine and learning about a part of Tuscan traditions and culture.

The production

The Castelvecchio vineyards stretch over 15 acres (6 hectares) with a vine density of  2207 vines per acre (5434 vines per hectare). They are cultivated using the Guyot method with low yield. The red grape varieties grown are Sangiovese, Colorino, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, and the white grapes are Trebbiano, Malvasia and Colombana. All the grapes are harvested by hand. Having deep knowledge of the characteristics of each grape as they grow in the particular parts of the vineyard and taking note of their evolution allows us to adapt our choices from season to season to be able to constantly improve the quality of the wines.  Wine making is done under temperature control, and the wine is aged  in wood barrel. Particular attention and care is devoted to the selection of the grapes to be laid out to dry on traditional cane mats for the production of the traditional Vin Santo.