The Sagrantino Winery in the Montefalco area is celebrating 50 years, “as precious as gold”

Thirty-five years ago, Marco Caprai and his family business saved the ancient grape vines of Sagrantino. Like a “miracle”, he revived the Mass wine of San Francesco, depicted in the Renaissance frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli in Montefalco, and relaunched it to International limelight, with its territory. This might have been enough, but for Marco Caprai it was just the beginning. This year, 2021, is a special year. Arnaldo Caprai Winery and its Sagrantino turn 50, since Arnaldo Caprai, a successful textile entrepreneur, bought the Tenuta Val di Maggio in 1971- 3 hectares of vineyards- a “handful”, compared to the170 hectares today. The winery, symbol of Umbria and Italian wine, is launching a “special edition” of Montefalco Sagrantino Cinquant'Anni DOCG 2016, which will have a prestigious collector's label, a work of art in pure gold, for a wine that is worth its weight in gold, by the internationally renowned artist, Paolo Canevari. The artist has reinterpreted the Fifteenth-century altarpiece by Gozzoli, the “Mystical Marriage of Santa Caterina d’Alessandria” (with “master craftsmen” Giusto Manetti Battiloro, the historic Florentine company that produces and markets gold leaf, and the famous Florentine graphic studio Doni & Associati). The special selection was created with Michel Rolland, world-famous winemaker, and Julien Viaud, forming a celebratory “trilogy”, including the now legendary, and award-winning, “Special Edition 25 Years 1993” and “40 Years 2007”.
“Fifty years ago, sharecropping ended, the countryside was depopulated and the agricultural crisis began. But, my father realized that it could be turned into a business. Recovering Sagrantino, which was little more than a family production, and linking it to a territory considered of superior wine quality, in Umbria, as well as the ability to do business, was an intuition that took us beyond any results we dreamed of”, which is the memory - and the company philosophy - of Marco Caprai, who has been at the helm of the winery since the end of the 1980s. He also led a celebratory vertical tasting, with WineNews, in the Montefalco winery, of the Sagrantino Special Edition 2016 and 1993, 2008 and limited edition 2005 dedicated to the 100th birthday of the Nobel Prize winner, Rita Levi Montalcini. The proceeds from the sales – 25.000 euros – were donated to the Foundation of one of the greatest scientists in the world.
In Montefalco, the Sagrantino grape had a centuries-old tradition, but in the 1970s, the native vine had practically disappeared. Not for Marco Caprai, though. The history of the wine dated back to ancient times. It was created in the Middle Ages, by the followers of Saint Francis, as a wine for Mass. The grapes are mentioned in Pliny the Elder's "Naturalis Historia", depicted by the Renaissance painter, Benozzo Gozzoli in the frescoes of the Church of the Convent of San Francesco in Montefalco. And it is precisely in the convent of Santa Chiara that Caprai saved the vines, with the collaboration of the University of Milan and together they created “Cobra”, the richest genotype conservation database vineyard. At the helm of Arnaldo Caprai winery, Marco’s entrepreneurial initiative showed in producing Sagrantino in a dry, rather than passito (sweet) version, and the research activity with Professor Leonardo Valenti of the University of Milan. And, continued with the impulse to produce wines such as Montefalco Rosso (the first the winery produced, in 1973, when the largest Sagrantino vineyard in the area was planted, on the eve of the DOC recognition), and Collepiano (the first and iconic 100% Sagrantino, in 1979). Further, planting the first high-density Sagrantino vineyard and starting to export this wine to the United States, this time a few years before the recognition of the DOCG in 1992. Plus, the birth of Sagrantino 25 Anni, a wine, par excellence, which brought it to international limelight, and Spinning Beauty (2006), the first Sagrantino on the market after 10 years of aging (today it is in the Signature Line with Merlot Belcompare and Pinot Nero Malcompare). And then, the arrival of Cuvée Secrète, Umbria Bianco TGI, to demonstrate the full potential of white grapes produced in Umbria and the same “whitish” soul of the brand (in 2016, the Grecante received the Oscar del Vino of the Italian Sommelier Foundation as the Best white wine in Italy, and “Wine Spectator”, placed it among the 100 best wines in the world). Continuing on, more recently the Classic Method from the vineyards of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the inland areas of the Apennines between Umbria and Le Marche where, following earthquakes that have hit and damaged them, depopulation is galloping and can only be fought with new enhancement projects. All of this, together with oenologists of the caliber of Attilio Pagli, the historic oenologist of the winery, and Michel Rolland, world-famous winemaker, together with Julien Viaud.
Their avant-garde projects for and by the territory have led to the creation of ”Montefalco New Green Revolution”, the first territory protocol of sustainability in the wine sector, and “# caprai4love”. Plus, the fundraising campaign for the recovery of territory artworks, and to a model of environmental, economic and social sustainability, thanks to which the brand was elected, “European Winery of the Year 2012” for “Wine Enthusiast”, and a “Sustainability Model” for Expo 2015 certified by Equalitas. And, Marco Caprai was testimonial for Umbria at the Italian Pavilion (formerly, “Oscar of Wine as the Best Producer” for the AIS-Italian Sommelier Association, “Friend Innovation Award”, by Legambiente and “Winery of the Year” for Gambero Rosso and Slow Food, Confindustria’s “Enterprises for Innovation” Award. The “Revue du Vin de France” included Sagrantino among the 100 wines competitors of French wines). More recently, this has also led to the creation of the startup, Leaf Srl, a spin-off company for research and innovation.
This anniversary is important not only for the Umbrian agricultural company led by Marco Caprai, but also for the entire territory and the Italian wine sector. The territorial development model of Montefalco is a case history, which has been studied by the Agnelli Foundation as well as overseas. The merit goes to the far-sightedness of this company in proposing a new way of doing business, to the point of, over the decades, creating all around it, a thriving economic fabric all centered on wine tourism.