BY CAROL J. COLLER
Upon its rock outcropping, overlooking the Val D’Orcia to the West and the Valdichiana to the East, Montepulciano rises up like a monument over these lands, a monument to the long tradition of winemaking in Central Italy. Its vineyards spread out on the flanks of the hill and the slopes below in the geographical area designated for the production of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Here, firmly planted in the historic terroir of Montepulciano and just at the gates of the city, the Vecchia Cantina Di Montepulciano has been producing wine for over eighty years.
Founded in July of 1937 as a cooperative of fourteen local winemakers who banded together to facilitate both the production and the sales of their wines. Vecchia Cantina bottled its first wine in 1940 during the war. After the difficult war years, in the 1950’s and the reorganization of the lands, the Vecchia Cantina acted as a driving force for wine production in the area, a role that they cover to this day with the over 400 member vineyard owners and over a thousand hectares of vineyards producing around seven million bottles of wine annually.
The current offices of Vecchia Cantina were constructed in 1970 and include the administrative offices, warehouses, storage tanks for the wine, bottling line, the shop for direct sales to the public and two vast subterranean barrel rooms. There is a large second facility at Montepulciano Stazione which is another important site for the company as the site of the winemaking center, where members’ grapes arrive and where the first processing of the wine takes place.
The first, “historic” cellar was built underground in 1972 and is a singular space, with a glass entrance facing onto the state road where the “bottaia” is visible to passersby. The cellar contains 160 large casks of Slovenian oak of varying capacities. The second, modern barrel room was planned and executed in 2001 and extends for an incredible 2800 square meters underground. Here, under the vaulted ceiling, are 400 casks of Slovenian oak as well as the French oak tonneaus and barriques. The cooperative produces a large number of very fine wines, the “Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG annata” and the “Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva” first and foremost produced under the Vecchia Cantina label, but also under the prestigious Cantina del Redi, Poggio Stella and Astorre Noti labels. The majority of the wines produced are reds in an area historically known for red wine, but the cooperative also offers white and rosè wines, spumante and the sweet Vin Santo. For a number of years the Vecchia Cantina has produced a line of completely organic wines as well.
The Vecchia Cantina offers both visits to the cellars and wine tastings with an advance reservation. Keeping in mind the numerous visitors and wine lovers who arrive every year, the Vecchia Cantina is constructing a brand new welcoming center, which will create an elegant space that can accommodate wine tastings, dinners and events of all sorts and is projected to be completed by September of 2022. This center will combine tradition with experience and innovation and give the visitor the opportunity to discover and comprehend the dedication of the Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano to their craft, and a long and illustrious history in wine.
Info: Soc. Coop. Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano Soc. Agr., Via Provinciale 7, Montepulciano (Si) / Tel. 0578 7160 92 / info@vecchiacantinadimontepulciano.com