#WOMENORGANICWINEMAKERSOFTHESOUTH

Ancient lands, noble flavors.

 

Clara, Carla and Laura. These are the women of Tenute Pacelli, a small yet promising winery located in northern Calabria. The mother and her daughters have been managing it since 2010 with a great deal of passion and dedication, and each of these women plays a very specific role. Clara, whose roots are from the Istria region, is in charge of sales. Carla and Laura work from Milan to take care of communications and relationships with distributors. Then there’s Francesco, the father of the family, who has made smart business decisions that have allowed the winery to grow exponentially. Today, the Pacelli family makes six types of wines, each of which represents a specific “soul” of the winery. Riesling, in it still form (Barone Bianco) or as a spumante using the Classic Method (Zoe), is the product that best represents Clara’s roots.
VIDEO: THE GRAPE HARVEST 2016
VIDEO: THE COMPANY FROM ABOVE
Barbera and Cabernet, which are the oldest grape varieties, come together for one of the two reserve wines (Pauciuri), reflecting Carla’s desire that the history of the winery not be forgotten and that homage be paid to her uncle, the nobleman Gaetano La Costa, who was the first to make an investment in winemaking. Finally, there are the Magliocco Dolce and Calabrese (the native Nero d’Avola grape) varieties – vinified separately and brought together in the Temèso wine, which is aged in large French oak casks first and then in Borgognotta bottles. This wine reflects Laura’s desire to focus on the local area, trusting in its potential from both organoleptic as well as commercial standpoints.

YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW

The winery, which is located among the lush hills north of Consenza and below the Pollino massif, was owned by the La Costa noble family of Calabria. Francesco Pacelli’s family on his mother’s side descended from this family of barons. The La Costa family had properties in the town of Malvito dating back to 1700, and this included an ancient Norman castle. The castle was later donated to the town, which renovated it. In the early years of the twentieth century, the family chose to use the estate, located in the Rose contrada just a few kilometres from town, as a rural residence. It was only in the 1970s that Baron Gaetano La Costa decided to plant grapes, choosing Italian wine varieties. Because he loved Chianti and Barbera, he planted Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Malvasia. More than 40 years later, this represents the oldest part of the winery.
VIDEO: THE ANCIENT HUNTING LODGE
His nephew inherited the estate after his death. Since then, this little gem has expanded. Here everything is taken care of down to the smallest detail: from the grapes and olives harvested by hand; to the production and sale of cherries; to the new cantina equipped with the most high-tech machines; to the nearby room for tastings and refreshments; all the way to the preservation of the old hunting lodge from the eighteenth century. The fundamental elements of the winery include respect for the terroir, organic farming and high quality. All of this is backed up by the cover cropping technique used, the very few treatment processes carried out in the vineyard throughout the year, the fact that we produce everything internally (this is why we are members of FIVI, The Italian Federation of Independent Winegrowers), and our “farm-to-table” concept that guarantees sustainable consumption.