01 May 2024
A story steeped in tradition, charismatic personalities, and innovation: the Santarelli Family celebrates the 110th anniversary of the founding of "Ditta Berardino Santarelli & Figli" on March 5, 2024, honoring those who embarked on a journey in the Lazio region in 1914.
The Origins
Established by Emidio, Isidoro, and Antonio Santarelli, the company bears the name of its founder Berardino, a wine merchant who left his native Capricchia, a hamlet of Amatrice, to settle in Rome. During the same period, the "Vini & Olii" shops were sold to focus on production – except for the one in Piazza Capranica, which was renovated respecting its historic wine & oil shop ambiance and renamed "Bistrot Collegio – Cucina, Vini & Liquori".
In 1955, Dino Santarelli, Emidio's son, founded "Santarelli S.p.A." in Rome, specializing in bottling typical Lazio wines, exported abroad, notably to Canada.
In 1967, fascinated by the Agro Pontino, he founded Casale del Giglio in Le Ferriere, in Latina, near the ancient city of Satricum, thus initiating one of the most renowned wine dynasties in Lazio.
The Evolution
Year after year, the Santarelli Family invested time and resources to create a new reality, an unprecedented challenge in the wine industry, giving value to an extraordinary land surrounded by the Monti Lepini while open to the sea. A comprehensive research project initiated in 1985 led the company to produce wines of remarkable quality, increasingly recognized and appreciated over the years.
In the nineties, Antonio Santarelli, following his father's intuition, conducted meticulous experiments on nearly 60 different grape varieties, with the invaluable collaboration of the Trentino-born oenologist Paolo Tiefenthaler.
Significant collaborations with Attilio Scienza, Professor at the Institute of Arboriculture of the University of Milan, Prof. Angelo Costacurta of the Experimental Institute for Viticulture in Conegliano (Treviso), Prof. Fulvio Mattivi of the Edmund Mach Foundation - Research and Innovation Center of the San Michele all'Adige Provincial Agricultural Institute (Trento), and Prof. Francesco Spagnolli, Dean of the latter, were established. Over time, the Agro Pontino became a cross between a small Bordeaux and an Italian Napa Valley.
The first significant results were observed in red grapes like Syrah and Petit Verdot, and whites such as Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and later Viognier and Petit Manseng. Special attention was also given to native grape varieties, once neglected, such as Biancolella di Ponza, Bellone di Anzio, Cesanese di Olevano Romano, and Pecorino di Accumoli.
The Present
At present, the estate boasts 180 hectares of converted vineyards, alongside a multitude of newly introduced grape varieties, each marked by a remarkable qualitative synergy between grape and terroir.
Casale del Giglio offers a range of twenty-five labels - ten whites, one rosé, nine reds, one dessert wine, three grappas, and an extra virgin olive oil. The company's principle has always been a rigorous pursuit of quality, maintaining a proper balance between quality and price.
In addition to his corporate commitment, Antonio Santarelli has pursued his passion for archaeology for years. He has long been involved in the "Satricum Archaeological Project" in collaboration with the Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage of Lazio, the Municipalities of Aprilia, Latina, and Nettuno, and the University of Amsterdam under the direction of Professor Marijke Gnade. Excavations led by a team of talented archaeologists have uncovered the Sacred Way leading to the Temple of the goddess Mater Matuta and a ceramic wine cup dating back to the 5th century B.C., shedding light on a wine culture undoubtedly linked to these lands since ancient times.
