Montenisa | Antinori

Why should one always only enjoy sparkling wines from the west of France, when in the heart of Franciacorta there are also competitive fine wines produced according to the same traditional méthode, which cost only a little more than the discount versions of their French counterparts? This may well have been what the famous noble Antinori family thought when, in 1999, they decided to join forces with the Conti Maggi, a long-established aristocratic family, to farm and manage their beautiful Montenisa winery in the hamlet of Calino, not far from the town of Cazzago San Martino. Since benefiting from state-of-the-art cellar technology and time-honoured tradition, the winery, located south of Lago d'Iseo, has enjoyed an extraordinary rise.

Very favourable climatic conditions allow vines to flourish on an area of a good 60 hectares of completely restructured fertile vineyard hills, which are developed into masterpieces in the cellar. The basis is formed by the grape varieties Pinot Nero, Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco. Already in the early 19th century, great-grandfather Piero and later grandfather Niccolò produced amazing sparkling wines in the Antinori house. In the meantime, besides Alessia, the youngest daughter of Marchese Piero Antinori, it is her sisters Albiera and Allegra who passionately create fascinating spumante in the Lombardy winery.

At the Montenisa winery, the yields, which come only from our own carefully tended vines, are very strictly limited. Therefore, only first-class grapes reach the cellar. The basic wines are fermented a second time in the bottle and are allowed to adorn themselves with the DOCG designation of origin. The noble wines of Tenuta Montenisa are allowed considerably more resting time than is actually required by the regulations of the denomination. Another special feature: the bottles are still shaken by hand according to the old tradition - a procedure that is also called remuage in professional circles.

The model winery in Franciacorta also includes the magnificent 16th-century villa "Palazzetto Maggi" as well as the more than 1,000-year-old little church of Santo Stefano, which sits enthroned on the hill of the same name and is surrounded by the oldest vines in the winery. The name Montenisa, by the way, comes from Greek mythology and supposedly refers to the birthplace of Bacchus, the god of wine and fertility. SUPERIORE.DE