The story of the Castello di Corbara begins way back in the Middle Ages when the estate was a feud of the Counts of Montemarte. The territory now occupied by the wine cellars and holiday farms and its extensive farm lands - over 1,100 hectares - has not changed all that much since then.

Located near the confluence of the Paglia and Tiber rivers, where the Roman port of Pagliano [archeological site] was discovered and brought to light in the late 1800s, the Castello di Corbara is in Umbria, the green heart of Italy, only 15 minutes from the city of Orvieto, in the River Park of the Tiber.

For over thirty years the estate has been the proud owner of around 140 hectares of vineyards. One of the principal aims of the estate is that of revaluating the autochthonous species of grapes that have been growing here for over a hundred years, so as to put wines on the market that are intimately connected with the territory of origin.

Each vineyard is created under the scrupulous and knowing control of our enologists, Franco Bernabei and Marco Bernabei, preceded by a careful evaluation of the microclimate and the soil of the various holdings of the estate. The zones best suited for species of red and white grapes, and of the various clones of the selected species, have been identified by analyzing the physical – chemical – structural composition of the soil, as well as the location and exposure of the fields.

Among the red grape varieties (the estate is located entirely within the ambit of DOC Lago di Corbara) it has been decided to increase the presence of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sangiovese and Montepulciano. A historical clone of the last named, probably dating to 1897, has been identified on the estate and was reproduced in the spring of 2003 in an area that presented a suitable microclimate.

Among the white grapes (the estate falls into the oldest zone of DOC Orvieto and can therefore proudly vaunt the term Orvieto Classico on its labels) mention should be made of an interesting clone of Grechetto that was discovered in the estate. This autocthonous grapevine will be faithfully reproduced and used to best advantage in the new vineyards. The grapes are carefully selected and hand picked in the cooler hours of the day before the fermentation process begins.

THE WINE CELLARS: New modern wine cellars for the transformation in situ of all the red grapes and a small part of the production of white grapes were installed for the 2002 grape harvest. They were designed for precision vinification. Up to the final blending the numerous clones of the different grapevines, separated into vineyard fields, are individually vinified. The specific characteristics of the wine determine how long it is aged in the special aging room, in barrels, tonneaux and barriques that are carefully selected with regards to type of wood and toasting. Complete restoration of the medieval Castle, a symbol of the estate, is being planned. The project also proposes to recover the old wine cellars in the labyrinth of tunnels and subterranean chambers underneath the Castle and to install a historical wine museum of the equipment and accessories used in the past in the wine making process.