Italiano
Castello Monaci: “This is me”
A splendid 16th century castle, maniacally cared for vineyards, a sustainable winery and excellent wines: this is Castello Monaci in Salento.
On June 12 Castello Monaci hosted the This is Me event in the Salento area of Puglia to mark the 20-year association between the Seracca Guerrieri family, which owns Castello Monaci, and Gruppo Italiano Vini (GIV), which handles the production and sales of their wines.
It was an opportunity to taste their entire line of production and to discover the new wines they have created. Castello Monaci is situated in the heart of Salento, the heel of the Italian boot, where the sun shines hard and the winds never cease to blow. Anyone who has been to Salento knows that the wind is a constant presence there and calm days are the exception. The winds include the strong southeast sirocco but also the cold, northerly tramontana than can blow powerfully through the rows of vines that for the most part have a north-south exposure to allow the wind to dry any dampness or stagnant conditions.
The sun beats down on the area’s dark, rich soil, which to the touch seems almost fatty, making water a precious commodity that should not be wasted and be treated with respect and care. With global warming the situation has become even worse and so at Castello Monaci they have adopted a scientific-technical protocol for efficient irrigation, placed solar panels on the flat roof of the winery and maintained a vast forest within the estate grounds. Aside from winery and vineyards the estate has a splendid 16th century castle to host events and offer hospitality with rooms offering every comfort, a swimming pool and spa. There is also a very lovely wine museum and all this surrounded by the green of the forest and 210 hectares of vineyards.
The vineyards are maniacally cared for by the Seracca Guerrieri family and are for the most part planted with Negroamaro and Primitivo but there is also some Malvasia Nera, Chardonnay, Verdeca and Syrah. Recently they have also brought back a forgotten native varietal, Moscatello Salvatico, which is used to make a limited number of bottles of passito dessert wine.
GIV is a very strong winemaking enterprise composed of 11 quality wine estates from northern to southern Italy and has become the largest wine group in Italy and the 11th largest in the world. It exports Italian wine to over 60 countries for a turnover of 385 million euros a year. It is also managed by a woman, Roberta Corrà, which for DoctorWine is a very positive thing.
