Casato Prime Donne winery

  

 

At Casato Prime Donne there are 16 hectares of Sangiovese vineyard and the winery for the production and ageing of the Rosso and Brunello di Montalcino wines. The winemakers are all women: a revolutionary work situation for Italy. In the vineyards around Casato, there is a trail walk embellished with quotations from the winners of the Casato Prime Donne Award and works of contemporary art accompany those walking through the vineyards. The surrounding landscape of the Val d'Orcia has been declared by Unesco an important part world heritage site

 

 

 

At Casato Prime Donne the barrels and tonneaux are set among frescoes showing the history of Montalcino; there is a visual explanation of the origins of its name (literally, Mount of the Oak) of the Battle of Montaperti in 1260 where the inhabitants of Montalcino earned the nickname of Beccamorti (gravediggers). It is possible to organize guided tours and wine tastings.

The new Tinaia del Vento

 

 

The Tinaia del Vento fermentation area was inaugurated with the 2009 harvest. Set in the middle of the Brunello vineyards, it is open on four sides so as to naturally oxygenate the must during fermentation — a tradition carried on since yesteryear. The “Tinaia del Vento” houses six modern, truncated-cone shaped, stainless steel vats which are open on top. The plunger travels along a rail suspended from the ceiling. This permits vinification to take place without the use of pumps; this mechanical system carries out the work that medieval monks used to perform in convent cellars. Even the yeast used in the process is traditional. The collaboration between Casato Prime Donne and Oliver Ogar from Verona has helped us choose two native strains of yeast from Montalcino. Last but not least, there is the Dyostem scanner which reveals the aromatic ripening of the Sangiovese grapes, and the sorting belt which chooses the grapes one by one.