Terre di Romena: the new winemaking frontier of the Casadei family in Casentino

At Vinitaly the first bottles of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Pratovecchio Stia, 11 April 2024. The desire to deal with a noble grape variety like Pinot Noir, but at the same time the desire to give a concrete response to the challenges that climate change is posing to viticulture. Terre di Romena was born from these premises, the new wine project by Stefano Casadei, who together with his wife Anna Baj Macario leads the Casadei family which brings together the Tuscan companies Castello del Trebbio, in the Chianti Rùfina lands, and Tenuta Casadei, in Alta Maremma, in Suvereto, and Olianas, in the lands of Sarcidano, in Sardinia.

The brand's new winery is located in Pratovecchio Stia in the province of Arezzo, in the heart of Casentino on the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. “In this context, the vineyards, located at an altitude between 450 and 650 m above sea level, are surrounded by many forests. There are large temperature variations between day and night and rainfall is greater than in other areas. In this area of Casentino - explains Stefano Casadei - we have found the ideal conditions to give a concrete response to the challenges that climate change is posing to the world of viticulture at the moment. Here a group of competent vignerons, with great passion and an artisanal approach, are already enhancing this territory. Through our philosophy we want to help shine the spotlight on this area even more, further revealing its potential with wines of character and elegance."

After an in-depth study of the land and the identification of a precise area , Stefano Casadei decided to acquire in 2019 part of the land of the old farm of the Castello di Romena, one of the most majestic manors of the Guidi Counts of Casentino, which stands on a hill located at 650 meters above sea level.

The property consists of approximately 20 hectares of land , 7 of which are dedicated to viticulture . Of these, 3.5 hectares are planted with Pinot Noir and 1.5 with Chardonnay . “We decided to dedicate the remaining two hectares to experimentation to understand the response of the Casentino terroir to specific varieties” continues Casadei. “We have planted both international varieties such as Merlot and Syrah, as well as Sangiovese and other native varieties specific to Casentino, and finally Orpicchio, a white grape variety typical of the Valdarno area”.

The first bottles on the market, which will be possible to taste in preview at the next edition of Vinitaly in Verona (Hall 9, Stand C5) , will be a Pinot Noir and a Chardonnay, while a Classic Method sparkling wine is being refined, for which a rest on the yeasts for 60 months. “Production has just started and when fully operational there will be a total of around 30 thousand bottles : around 20 thousand of Pinot Noir, with two types, 5 thousand of Chardonnay and the remainder dedicated to the experiments we are carrying out”.

The construction of the winery in Terre di Romena in the next few years is also planned, while the internal protocol has already been started which will lead to the production of wines with the Biointegrale® Philosophy in Casentino too, which focuses on the concept of sustainability in respect of the territory and of people, as in the other Casadei Family estates.

“All our production sites – concludes Stefano Casadei – have obtained the Demeter® brand and we are already working in Terre di Romena to obtain this important certification”.