Taste of Italy becomes more precise : “ The business began in 1964 with my grandfather Alibrando , but the first bottle is from 1985 .” It is difficult not to notice the gap of more than twenty years between the two dates . “ Yes ,” she explains , “ my grandfather fell in love with the land and planted the vineyard , which then turned out to be extraordinary . But we have not always been winemakers . Since the 1920s , our family has been involved in quarrying and processing travertine in Rapolano . Wine came later , as a passion , but there was no cellar , only wonderful vineyards : the grapes were therefore sold . At a certain point my grandfather decided to give it a try . As there was no cellar , one was rented in the historic town centre of Montepulciano , a couple of kilometres away . The first production came from a single cask , but it was an extraordinary vintage , and it gave us the impetus to continue .”
There were about 3,600 bottles , with the label designed by Caterina ’ s father , Glauco , together with his sculptor friend Berrettini . There is one left , which she obviously keeps , but the most important trace left by that experience was the decision to build the winery and to embark on a new venture . Today , and for some time now , that venture has become a producer appreciated in various corners of the world , while also deeply rooted in its own area . A symbol of this , in a form that cannot be forgotten , is the new cellar , designed and built between 2009 and 2014 , at the behest of Glauco Dei . “ He was already eighty years old ,” says Caterina , “ and said : it ’ s time for me to have a home for my wine , made with my own stone .” In short , the cellar , an attraction in itself , is made of travertine . Two very different things , stone and wine , one very solid and the other a delicious liquid , but when talking to Caterina Dei it is clear that here they are both seen as being related to an idea of beauty that is their inspiration .
“
Today Casale Dei has sixty hectares of vineyards divided into five production zones
”
“ It is also a question ,” explains the woman who now heads the company , “ of bringing together the resources of the local area . Rapolano , where travertine is quarried , is thirty kilometres from Montepulciano .” Caterina did not grow up dreaming about wine , but about music and the theatre . She sings and plays the piano . The space here also speaks of her passion . “ The cellar outside opens up to form an amphitheatre . The acoustics are excellent and we have conducted some small experiments . Maestro Vince Tempera brought his string quartet for an evening of film soundtracks . And in any case ,” she adds with a smile , “ there is a piano , so it ’ s always possible for something to happen .” Yes , because hospitality goes hand in hand with wine , the hospitality of tastings , wine tours and that offered in partnership with Emma Villas by providing accommodation in the Casale Dei , a seventeenthcentury building surrounded by vineyards that the Vino Nobile consortium often uses as a symbolic image : an image of pride , and also of responsibility . An image of acting as ambassadors for an area or two of Italian excellence : wine and territory . Today Casale Dei has sixty hectares of vineyards divided into five production zones with different soil composition and exposure . It produces around 250,000 bottles a year , which could be doubled , but we are talking about excellence here . All its wine is organic and developed with sustainability in mind , bringing together environment and society , that is to say , work relationships and a focus on the economy . In terms of representing Italy , about three quarters of its production is exported : primarily to the United States , but also to Europe and Japan . And people come from all over the world to enjoy real beauty , in both its liquid and intangible form – like music . Visitors are greeted warmly here , as well as by a small garden of travertine sculptures , with vineyards all around , that bottle from 1985 somewhere nearby , and perhaps a piano .
43