Lucarelli Valerio

The Valerio Lucarelli winery is a small winery in the Marche region with a very ancient history, dating back to 1791. After more than two centuries of family tradition, Valerio continues to cultivate the two hectares of property and to make his own wine according to a traditional and territorial style. The land is the hilly area of San Ginesio at an altitude of about 550 metres, in the province of Macerata and a stone's throw from the slopes of the Sibillini Mountains. The terroir and proximity to the mountains give the wines great acidity and a unique complexity of nuances that recall the place.

IThe symbols of the Antica Cantina Valerio Lucarelli are a late 18th-century wooden 'torchio', handmade by the founder of the family, Luigi, and an old brick oven containing the 'callara', a large copper vessel that was used in the past for the production of cooked wine. Today, the sixth generation of the family dedicates itself with patience, passion and tenacity to the production of full-bodied, intense reds from Sangiovese and Vernaccia Nera, an indigenous vine from the Macerata area that is widespread in nearby Serrapetrona. The vineyards are cultivated according to organic principles, without resorting to phytopharmaceuticals and synthetic chemicals, firmly believing in the importance of an environmentally sustainable agriculture to safeguard and enhance the territory. In the historic wine cellar, built in stone and brick, Valerio is helped by oenologist Giovanni Basso, who has in the past produced great Marche reds such as Kurni and Akronte. Vinification takes place spontaneously, without the addition of yeasts, only in cement tanks, and ageing in Clayver or large casks.

Valerio Lucarelli's signature wines preserve the typicality of the Marche region, combined in terms of power, richness and complexity. The 'Lenòs', made exclusively from Vernaccia Nera grapes, has a name that, in ancient Greek, means 'press' and is inspired by the ancient traditions of the territory and the Lucarelli family. The 'Sarnum', on the other hand, is made only from Sangiovese, with long ageing in large Slavonian oak casks, and is dedicated to the charming village of Sarnano, at the foot of the Sibillini Mountains. Both labels are a hymn to the great potential of the terroir and encapsulate the importance of a history that began in 1791, but whose roots go back even further over the centuries.