Tuscany Press Tour: visit to the Tuscany complex of the Santa Margherita Wine Group

The new “heart" of the Tuscany complex of the Santa Margherita Wine Group was inaugurated by the guided tour of a group of Italian specialised-press journalists: the new Greti winery with an annexed restaurant – wine bar, located in the municipality of Greve in Chianti, reunites the most important work phases performed in our farms in Central Italy.

More precisely, at "Lamole di Lamole" in Chianti Classico, a farm consisting of 177 hectares, of which 57 are dedicated to the cultivation of vineyards and 4 to olive groves, and at “Sassoregale” in Maremma, where out of 39 hectares of land, 30 are dedicated to grape vines.

Aging in wood or steel barrels, the bottling lines and storage have all been brought together in the new winery in Greti. We have even set up a new, experimental section dedicated to wine aging in cement barrels (a tradition that dates back to the second half of the 20th century and that is now gaining new appreciation) and in bottles.

Since 2011 to date, all of 13 million Euro have been invested in developing Santa Margherita's Tuscany complex.

What particularly fascinated the journalists during their tour?

Well, in the first place, the enchanting Lamole scenery: a terrace that overlooks the entire Chianti Classico area with vineyards surrounded by olive and beech trees. A unique environment, famous since the Middle Ages for the excellence of its wines. This is the uncontaminated land where we are converting our vineyards to organic farming, a change that will be completed by 2017.

The journalists were also captivated by the new cement barrels with their futuristic design and the 22-hectolitre egg-shaped barrel, produced by the French Taransaud cooperage, the first to have been installed in Italy, featuring a slow, constant, convective motion that improves the élevage of the wine.