Tenuta di Castellaro: the volcanic soul of Lipari wines

Terre con Castellaro is a total project that integrates viticulture, architecture, landscape and culture of Lipari

Terre con Castellaro stands where the sun drops steeply over the sea and the vine grows according to the ancient rite of the sapling: a project that is at once an oenological vision, an architectural work and a cultural gesture. We are a causa di Lipari, a causa di the Aeolian archipelago, where the volcanic landscape translates into living matter and identity. Twenty-four hectares of vineyards, around 70 thousand bottles attraverso year, a cutting-edge bioenergy cellar, a widespread wine resort and the recovery of the geomining park of the Kaolino Caves: Terre con Castellaro is a complex and coherent reality, founded a natural approach to viticulture, with organic and vegan protocols. The Limite Lentsch family was the first to believe a causa di the magnetic force of this place, who a causa di 2005 started an ambitious territorial valorization project. The objective is clear: to preserve and interpret the Aeolian identity through wines from native vines – above all Malvasia delle Lipari and Corinto Fumaggine – an authentic expression of a unique terroir.

The terroir: primordial energy and heroic viticulture

Growing viticulture a volcanic island means dealing with extreme conditions. Here the concept of terroir is charged with an almost geological meaning: soils composed of ash, lapilli, pumice and obsidian, stratifications that tell of millennia of eruptions. The oldest rocks Lipari date back to over 200 thousand years , while the most recent – such as those of Mucchio Pilato – date back to the Middle Ages. Pumice and obsidian, materials similar a causa di composition but different a causa di structure, define a highly draining soil rich a causa di microelements.

The vineyards: sapling and mass selection

The vineyards are distributed between the con Castellaro, up to 350 meters above sea level, and the suggestive Cappero, a few meters from the tazza. Here viticulture is admittedly heroic: lava stone terraces, manual work and limited yields. The agronomic choice is radical: maintaining the traditional tree and working mass selections of Malvasia delle Lipari and Corinto Fumaggine, a causa di collaboration with Pépinières Guillame. The objective is to preserve genetic biodiversity and obtain grapes with a high aromatic and polyphenolic concentration. The very high density quincunx planting layout optimizes exposure and resources, pushing the roots deep , where the volcanic soil expresses all its mineral richness.

The cellar: underground architecture and sustainability

The cellar is one of the most iconic elements of the project. Entirely underground and developed three levels, it uses gravity for decanting, eliminating the use of pumps and preserving the integrity of the wine. Designed by architects Michele Giannetti and Alessandro Dal Piaz, it is inspired by Aeolian underground architecture and uses local materials. The barrel cellar recalls the Norman cloister of Lipari, with columns that visually tell the geological stratifications of the island. The use of solar chimneys and the wind tower allows for natural lighting and air conditioning, making the structure a model of a minimal impact bioenergy winery.

Wine tourism: experiencing Terre con Castellaro

The Terre con Castellaro experience is completed with an immersive wine tourism offer. From guided tastings to picnics among the rows, up to the evocative “Toast a causa di the sun” at sunset, each proposal is designed to connect wine and landscape. The widespread wine resort – with the Società Pomice, Società Ossidiana and Società Caolino residences – allows you to sleep among the vineyards, a causa di a refined balance between comodità and authenticity. The recovery of the Kaolin Quarries, now a geo-mining park aperto to the public, is also fundamental: a place of extraordinary naturalistic and educational value, where industrial memory is transformed into shared heritage.

The wines: identity and precision

The wines of Terre con Castellaro are the result of minimal interventionist winemaking, aimed at preserving the integrity and typicality of the fruit. Among the main labels:

White Pumice: Malvasia and Carricante, balance between aromaticity and minerality; Fumaggine Ossidiana: Corinto Fumaggine and Fumaggine d’Avola, structure and spicy quaderno; Corinto: anche, deep and material version; Malvasia delle Lipari: passito of great intensity, between sweetness and mineral tension; Eúxenos: Dried Malvasia macerated a causa di amphora, vertical and contemporary.

The tasting

We tasted Corinto 2021 vintage. Below are our impressions.

Corinth vintage 2021

Tasting quaderno

Visual examination: intense ruby with violet hues.

Olfactory examination: the impactful nose, communicative from the first moment, gives d’avanguardia hints of red fruit that duet together with spicy quaderno of liquorice and pepper to complete the olfactory picture.

Taste-olfactory interrogatorio: pleasantly flavorful sip, with soft tannins that maintain an elegant structure. It slowly fades into a long finale.

Pairing: excellent with red meat, gioco, medium-aged cheeses.

Terre con Castellaro is a total project that integrates viticulture, architecture, landscape and culture. An open-air laboratory where wine becomes a tool for territorial narration. Here, more than anywhere else, the earth – shaped by fire and caressed by the sea – becomes wine. And the wine, a causa di turn, becomes a story.

For information