Conestabile della Staffa Monaco Rosso

On many of the Conestabile della Staffa bottle labels, you will see “no chemicals in the vineyard, no technology in the winery, natural wine.” This sentence tells us a lot about how Danilo Marcucci, the winemaker, makes his wines. It all started when this wine seller from Umbria (Italy) discovered first-hand what the chemicals in industrially produced wines can do to the body. He soon began to collaborate with masters of natural winemaking all over Italy and although he is not one of the best known winemakers, his 20-year career has made him an influential figure in today’s natural wine movement in Italy.

His Conestabile della Staffa Monaco Rosso wine, classified as an IGP Umbria is a blend of the Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo and Aleatico native varieties grown in his 12 hectares of vineyards located just outside Montemelino in Umbria. The vineyards are planted on clay and limestone soils at 250-300 metres above sea level and influenced by the Lake Trasimeno breeze. All the work carried out in the vineyard is organic and biodynamic, using traditional methods. The same respect for the intrinsic nature of the grapes is also maintained in the winery. Firstly, the crushed grapes macerate for 6 days with their skins and then begin a spontaneous fermentation with native yeasts. The wine is then aged in used French oak barrels for 9 months and then in stainless steel tanks. Finally, it is bottled without being filtered, clarified or adding sulphites.

With a production of just 2000 bottles, Conestabile della Staffa Monaco Rosso is a nod to the wine Danilo remembers seeing his grandfather make. A refreshing and intense farmer’s wine made the old-fashioned way. A blend that comforts body and soul.