Profilo Aziendale
Santa Lucia Vinery in Mercato Saraceno ( Emilia Romagna)
The Estate
Santa Lucia
In this unique "terroir" we devotionally nourish a dream: creating good wines to cheer up palates and hearts.
Santa Lucia estate was founded in the early ‘60s adding my father’s land to my paternal grandfather’s one, thus forming a farm of about 100 ha of which 12 are vineyards. They are located at 250 m. above sea level at Mercato Saraceno in the Savio valley, right in the heart of Romagna. Towards the end of the ‘90s there was a turning point: the farm specialized in winegrowing; a revolution which started from the vineyards to continue in the cellar. Thanks to the advice of important Italian winemakers we were able to carry out a plan aiming at upgrading the production and exploiting the culture, the history and the traditions of our belt.
The Sangiovese, the Albana, the Famoso and the Centesimino are the chief protagonists: they are the main vines of our region and right here, in our area, they are able to express important varietal features thanks to the peculiar paedo-climatic conditions.
All vineyards are grown according to organic farming with espalier training system and Guyot pruning. In recent years outstanding outcomes have been achieved through the evaluation of the lunar phases influence (both in the vineyards and in the cellar) applying biodynamic philosophy.
Thanks to this new approach the territory re-appropriate its true identity which we
believe is the ground for the growth and the development of any wine.
The terroir
The Romagna reflects its traditions both in the land and in the soul; the strong agronomic interest is a result of a fresh yet deep-rooted wine recovery which learnt a lot from ancient memories. This area enjoys a peculiar and matchless "terroir" where -within a few hundred yards- calcareous soils differ greatly from one another, with clay mixing up with tuff veins, gypsum and sulphur traces. The medium heights give wines with an outstanding wealth of aromas and rich in acidity.
Care in vineyards and celler
Careful agronomic running of the vineyards, hand selecting of grapes during harvesting and in the cellar, fermenting and refining under constant controlled temperature...
These are the main features of our policy which testify our core interest: a firm search for quality.
Because winemaking is an Art.
I became an agronomist and I planned the vinery I wanted, found out new techniques, got back to ancient knowledge, tasted and tested. All those years, before achieving this place and this wine, have been to me like a great fermentation, like the intense must aroma which at the age of seven fills your nose, and you will never forget. I had no other choice but fulfill this dream.
This is how Santa Lucia estate was born, from the desire to create outstanding wines, rich in personality, endowed with our soul and recalling the land we cultivate and love: wines which can tell a fascinating story.
Paride Benedetti - winemaker
