Castello della Sala (Antinori)

Castello della Sala and Marchesi Antinori - a success story

Castello della Sala sits proudly on a hill, in the middle of the picturesque Umbrian countryside, not far from the border with Tuscany, halfway between the little river Paglia and the mountain Monte Nibbio, near the historic town of Orvieto. The lands of the Castello, whose origins date back to the Middle Ages, extend over 500 hectares, of which 170 hectares are planted with vineyards, in addition to olive groves,  agricultural land and woods. 

Castello della Sala - from the medieval fortress ....

The medieval castle was built in 1350 at the request of Monaldeschi della Vipera. Even before it was built, a small farming village called Sala existed on the site. Over the centuries, the Castello della Sala was in different hands until it was finally acquired by the Marchesi Antinori over 70 years ago.

... to the wine castle - a renaissance

in 1940, Niccolò Antinori, Piero Antinori's father, decided to turn to the production of white wines and turned his attention to Umbria, which offered particularly favorable conditions for this, and especially to Castello della Sala and its lands. The castle was in poor condition and underwent a partial renovation. 
The historic cellar for the aging of the wines, dating back to the 16th century, is located  up to 30 meters deep in the ground under the fortress and is now complemented by a modern winery, built in 2005 by Piero Antinori, whose main purpose is to bring out the freshness and aromas of the grapes and to ensure uncompromising quality. Here, to this day, the Cervaro della Sala and the Pinot Nero are aged in French oak barriques, protected by the thick walls of the fortress, which also guarantee naturally constant temperatures and humidity.

Castello della Sala - white wine area with potential in the heart of Italy

While in the beginning it is mainly traditional grape varieties such as Grechetto and Procanico that are grown in the vineyards around Castello della Sala, later on new grape varieties such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, emillon, Pinot Blanc and Viognier, as well as Gewürztraminer and Riesling are added. The vineyards are located at an altitude of 220 to 470 meters above sea level, on clayey soils, optimally exposed to the sun, with excellent microclimatic conditions, with morning mists that play an important role in the ripening of the grapes. 

Castello della Sala is a white wine area in the heart of Italy, with one exception: the Pinot Nero Castello della Sala, a Pinot Noir that finds here in this terroir ideal conditions to give the best of itself. 

1985 the Cervaro della Sala is born

At the end of the seventies a young oenologist comes to Castello della Sala, Renzo Cottarella. Together with Piero Antinori he worked on a very ambitious and innovative project: a white wine with potential to age and evolve over the years. Experiments are made with Chardonnay, the autochthonous grape variety Grechetto proves to be a grape with a lot of typicity and terroir, but the search continues, it should become a great wine, with character and personality.

After a series of attempts, the coup finally succeeds, ambition and effort are rewarded: with the 1985 vintage, the first Cervaro della Sala is vinified from 80% Chardonnay, 20% Grecchetto , one of the first Italian white wines to undergo malolactic fermentation and to be aged in barriques. 
The Cervaro della Sala, multiple and regularly internationally awarded wine, is today one of the best white wines in Italy!

Castello della Sala - Terroir wines with personality:

• San Giovanni della Sala Orvieto Classico Superiore DOC
• Bramìto Umbria IGT
• Conte della Vipera Umbria IGT
• Cervaro della Sala Umbria IGT
• Muffato della Sala Umbria IGT
• Pinot Nero Umbria IGT