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The Historic Cellar of Fortezza Orsini

The Historic Cellar of Fortezza Orsini: Nine Centuries of History

The Birth of Bianco di Pitigliano DOC

To tell the story of the historic cellar of Fortezza Orsini, we must journey back to ancient times. The region of lower Tuscany and upper Lazio, known as ancient Tuscia, boasts naturally fertile land. Its fertility stems from volcanic origins, specifically the now-extinct volcano at Lake Bolsena, which enriched the soil. This made the area ideal for the growth of civilizations, along with the cultivation of grains, vines, and olives.

The successive populations in this area relied heavily on agriculture for their economy. Trade flourished during the time of the Orsini family, who ruled the region. In the early 20th century, this rich historical context saw many small-scale wine producers emerge in lower Tuscany. These producers began to create large quantities of grapes, leading to a burgeoning wine industry in the region.

In 1946, the Bianco di Pitigliano wine received the Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC). This designation marked it as the sixth DOC in Italy, enhancing its reputation significantly. By 1954, the Pitigliano cooperative winery was established, reflecting the commercial drive of the period. This marked the beginning of large-scale production of Bianco di Pitigliano DOC, which became widely distributed across central Italy.

The popularity of Bianco di Pitigliano was partly due to its distinctive two-liter bottles. Sold for approximately 1,500 lire, these bottles significantly contributed to the wine’s success in the market. The Bianco di Pitigliano DOC requires that at least 70% of the wine be made with Trebbiano grapes. It also includes local varieties like Procanico and Malvasia to enhance its character and quality.

The DOC was created to meet post-war market demands, focusing on producing large quantities of wine for the Italian workforce. This approach often prioritized quantity over the final product’s quality, which impacted the perception of the wine.

The Historic Cellar of the Fortress: The Precursor to the Pitigliano Cooperative Winery

The Historic Cellar of Fortezza Orsini remained hidden after its decommissioning in the early 1950s, only to be rediscovered in 2020. Its revival was due to a chance finding, bringing it back from disuse. This cellar was the first cooperative winery in the region, serving as the central hub for wine production in the Città del Tufo for many years. The facility’s architecture reflects the typical style of cellars found in the tuff cities but on a larger, industrial scale.

The upper part of the cellar, known as the “tinaia,” features large, circular vats that are impressive in size. Here, grape clusters were traditionally processed by foot-crushing to extract the must, a vital step in winemaking. After crushing, the wine underwent fermentation in barrels made from local wood to enhance its flavor. Once ready, the wine was carefully stored in the cellar’s depths, in an area called the “bottaio.” This area maintained a consistent temperature of 9 to 12 degrees Celsius, ensuring optimal preservation of the wine throughout the different seasons.

Looking Back at the 1990s

As mentioned, Bianco di Pitigliano initially enjoyed great success. However, due to the region’s isolation and poor connections with the rest of Italy, the producers were unable to evolve their production techniques and vineyard management to keep pace with the rapidly expanding wine market. By the late 1990s, with the rapid increase in the number and quality of DOC wines across Italy—exceeding 400—Bianco di Pitigliano lost nearly all of its market share.

Of the original 2,000 hectares of vineyards, about half were abandoned or converted to olive groves. Meanwhile, between the 1990s and 2000s, two major wine producers entered the area, acquiring around 700 hectares. They brought a more entrepreneurial approach to production, offering the local market its first glimpses of the quality potential of the volcanic soils in the Città del Tufo.

In the early 2000s, alongside these large producers, the first artisanal wine productions began, driven by passionate individuals who saw the potential in this region. They invested in land and experimented with winemaking, starting to age Ciliegiolo and macerate Trebbiano. An example is Carla and Edoardo, now owners of the Sassotondo winery, who, with a conscious and contemporary approach to vineyard management and production techniques, demonstrated that even in the Cities of Tuff, it was possible to produce high-quality wines. These wines became outstanding representatives of a territory that still struggles to define its identity today.

Bringing Us to the Present

In just twenty years, a network of small-scale producers has emerged in the region. If Italians were not typically characterized by a low capacity for collaboration, this could almost be considered a movement. While not officially recognized, this informal movement is built on three core principles: tradition, experimentation, and innovation. These are small, and sometimes very small, productions carried out in traditional settings or using traditional methods, where local grape varieties are experimented with out of passion. The goal is to improve, expand, and diversify the unwritten story of the wine from the Città del Tufo region.

Among this constellation of wineries, each with its own individuality, certain names stand out:

The revival of old vineyards, along with ongoing experimentation, has enriched the wine landscape with new techniques, such as aging red wines in different materials like amphorae, or the maceration of white wines. An example is our rosé, Burrasca, produced by the I Tre Cippi winery, a wine made from pure Ciliegiolo grapes but vinified as a white. The experimentation with wine in the Città del Tufo area, the only volcanic terroir in Tuscany, is still in full exploration but promises significant innovation and growth in the market.

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