A PORTRAIT OF THE WINERY

The Sportoletti family has always had close ties to the land and its most noble fruit, and they still cultivate their vines and make their wines with great passion. It all began in earnest in the late 1970s, when brothers Remo and Ernesto took what they had learned from their father, Vittorio, and decided to dedicate themselves exclusively to the craft of winemaking. In 1979 the historical and highly symbolic first thousand bottles of wine – bearing their very own label – were produced. It was the first step of the illustrious future that was to become theirs in the following years. The firm has evolved since then, it has grown and gradually improved its quality without ever giving up its traditional values, made of simple gestures and the conviction that the potential of their land, on the lovely hills between Assisi and Spello, is well worth exploiting.

THE VINEYARD AND TERROIR

The winery’s vineyards sit perched on the hills that separate Spello from Assisi. Santa Tecla has a southern exposure, covers 5 hectares and is located at an altitude of 400m above sea level where the soil is made of light clay, sand and brittle grey rock, it is nice and cool here, and there is always a breeze. Vigna Aziendale sits at 250m and faces southeast. It covers 5 hectares of red clayey limestone soil featuring an abundance of fine gravel, ideal for drainage. Vigna Valle Gloria covers 2 hectares at a majestic altitude of 500m. The terrain here is clayey, shallow, with dense sandy patches and limestone rock. It faces south and enjoys a cool and sunny microclimate. Vigna Navello boasts 4 hectares of clayey, slightly limestone soil that is dense, while Vigna Colle dei Bensi’s 4 hectares sit at an altitude of 200m and are blessed with a shallow layer of lightcoloured clay with rocky outcrops.

THE GRAPE VARIETIES GROWN

Sangiovese, merlot and cabernet, both sauvignon and franc, are the basis for the red wines. Grechetto and chardonnay for the whites.

WINES

Even though the winery has handily crafted its fine reputation with IGT whites of great allure, the objects of flattering reviews both here in Italy and abroad, one must also be ready to recognise two great feathers in their cap: Assisi Rosso and Assisi GRechetto. The red is made with sangiovese, merlot and cabernet grapes and is left to age for about four months is barriques. It is an intense wine, with a heady aroma, soft and round, a real pleasure that is far from banal. It is a red that is worth far more than its price.