Quercia al Poggio is situated around 400 metres above sea level in a wooded area in the heart of the Chianti Classico region, halfway between Siena and Florence, in the municipality of Barberino Val d’Elsa. Dating back to the 18th century, the estate has only had one owner since 1950, and since that time started to bottle its own wine.
Half of the 100-hectare property is comprised of a nature reserve where vines and olive trees are cultivated. The landscape around the estate is an amazing mix of woods, vineyards and olive groves. Our decision to produce only organic products shows the respectful attitude we have towards our environment, and gives life to genuine healthy products.
Almost all the vineyards have been gradually replanted since 1997 and different types of grapes have been chosen, taking the area’s specific terroir into account. The 15 hectares of vineyards are today mostly cultivated with Sangiovese and partly with Ciliegiolo, Colorino, Canaiolo, black Malvasia and some Merlot. One particular vineyard is planted with white Malvasia grapes to produce our Vinsanto.
Quercia al Poggio also produces Chianti Classico DOCG and extra-virgin olive oil. The well-exposed vineyards, favourable microclimate and the area’s specific soil structure form the basis of a terroir capable of producing top-quality wine and olive oil.
Much care is taken through all the stages involved in the creation of the wine, from the development of the grapes through to harvesting when we manually select the best grapes for our wines, while the second selection is sold in bulk.
We still produce our wine in accordance with moon phases, combining traditional with more innovative methods. The wines obtained from different vineyards are kept separate, temperatures are rigorously controlled during the fermentation process, and different yeasts carefully selected with extended maceration on the skins.
The wine is aged in small 500-litre oak barrels, 12 months for the Classico and 2 years for the Riserva, using a mix of new and old barrels in order to ensure the wine has a nice balance of fruit and wood flavours. We usually bottle during the springtime when the temperatures are warmer, taking care to use only the force of gravity when bottling so as not to shock the wine. We do not filter our wine and any deposits remaining at the bottom are simply natural sediments and an indication of a genuine structured wine with great character. To finish, we let the wine refine in the bottle for around 6 months in order to complete its final stage of development.