Ancient bonds and passion for viticulture, the union that enlivens our work.
As every story driven by an overwhelming passion, that of the Chillemi Gianfrotta family tells of a dream that led them to strengthen the relationship with their own roots, family, culture and territory. Reinforced by a noble lineage confirmed by King Charles of Bourbon in 1751, the main intent of the family, since the year the business was born, was to enhance an absolutely extraordinary territorial heritage.
It was immediately clear that they would have worked on the most historic and characteristic products of their land, preserving the ancient vines loved by the ruling house of Naples, focusing exclusively on the nat- ive varieties Casavecchia and Pallagrello, to respond to the desire to rediscover a territory of undisputed quality.
This historical memory perpetuates the ancient link with the Bourbon House also through the labels, which depict the hunting dogs of the main paintings exhibited at the Royal Palace of Caserta.
Art and gastronomy merged in an ideal embrace, that led the company to invest in accommodation facilities and rediscover the ancient productions in the Roman city of Capua. This is how the Vigne Chigi Bed & Wine and the ancient Capotempo cheese were born, mentioned in the Geographic Dictionary of the Kingdom of Naples, drawn up by Lorenzo Giustiniani in 1797.
Pallagrello
Delicate, not very productive, Pallagrello is one of the native grape varieties that is contributing the most to the enological revival of the region. This vine variety is typical of Caserta, one of the few, both white and black, with small bunches and perfectly spherical berries. This is why it’s called “U Pallarel” in the local dia- lect, or Pallagrello that means small ball (“piccola palla”).
Casavecchia
The history of this vine variety, one of the protagonists of rediscovery of the Campania wines, is shrouded in mystery.
It seems, as old farmers of the Pontelatone-Formicola-Castel Di Sasso area and adjacent hamlets tell us, that the Casavecchia vine derives from a large solitary stump found by chance in a ruin of an ancient Roman house in the countryside of Pontelatone, which escaped the terrible phylloxera of those years, towards the end of the nineteenth century.
Pure as our wines.
We like to be crystal clear towards our customers; this is why we have organized wine tasting tours that will introduce you to our wine-making techniques and allow you to test the goodness of our products in the field.
You can choose from the following tasting itineraries, we’ll be happy to welcome you and respond to your re- quests to make your visit unique and unforgettable.
Tasting 1
Guided tour of our organic vineyards and cellar with explanation of the main wine-making techniques.
Tasting of a cold cut platter with Casertana breed black pig raw ham and Capotempo di Capua cheese ripened in our Pallagrello Bianco wine. Wine: Pallagrello Bianco. Duration about 1 hour.
Tasting 2
Guided tour of our organic vineyards and cellar with explanation of the main wine-making techniques.
Tasting of a cold cut platter with Casertana breed black pig raw ham and Capotempo di Capua cheese ripened in our Pallagrello Bianco wine. Wine: Pallagrello Bianco PGI, Pallagrello Nero PGI. Duration about 1 hour.
Tasting 3
Guided tour of our organic vineyards and cellar with explanation of the main wine-making techniques.
Tasting of a cold cut platter with Casertana breed black pig raw ham, Caiazzane olives and Capotempo di Capua cheese ripened in our Pallagrello Bianco wine. Wine: Pallagrello Bianco PGI, Casavecchia PGI, CRETACCIO Casavecchia Di Pontelatone PDO. Duration about 1 hour.