Castello della Sala (Antinori)

CASTELLO DELLA SALA
Castello della Sala winery is located in Umbria, not far from the border with Tuscany, about 18 kilometres from the historic city of Orvieto. The lands of the Castello della Sala, an imposing manor house dating back to the Middle Ages, extend over 500 hectares, of which 160 hectares are planted with vines, at the height of 200 - 400 metres above sea level, and lie amidst the rolling hills that characterise the beautiful countryside of this area.

Soil tending to be clayey, vineyards well exposed to the sunrise, a microclimate characterised by cold - but not harsh - winters and very hot summers, in which the morning mist plays its role in the ripening of the grapes: that of Castello della Sala is an area highly suited to the production of white wines.

THE WINERY
A maze of corridors and rooms excavated at various levels under the castle, up to 30 metres deep. These are the castle's medieval cellars, an ideal place for the refinement and ageing of wines. In both summer and winter, the temperature is maintained at 13°C and the tufa stone transmits natural humidity to the rooms.

In 2006, a new underground cellar was completed at different depths, designed to exploit the force of gravity to move the grapes and wine from one stage of processing to the next, eliminating or at least minimising pumping operations. In addition, the structure of the cellar has been designed so that the passages occur naturally by gravity. Finally, by burying the premises, the environmental impact is significantly reduced: the cellar 'disappears' into the hill above and only part of the building remains visible.