The first news about the origins of the ancient farm date back to 1793. The beautiful hunting lodge was brought as a dowry by the noble Adelina Ruggeri De’ Capobianchi to her illustrious husband Raffaele Castorani. The fame of the celebrated surgeon, for many years a professor at Sorbonne in Paris and the inventor of the first technique of cataract surgery, invested in the estate in itself, which, since then, has been named Villa Castorani.
Subsequently, the property of the farmhouse passed to another distinguished professor, Antonio Casulli. Of Sardinian origin, Casulli was Professor of International Law at the University of Naples and later at that of Tokyo, where he conquered the personal estimate of the Emperor Hiroito. This was the most successful period for the farm arisen around the villa, with an expansion of over two hundred hectares of cultivated farmland. After the death of Casulli, in the 60s, the property was divided and a decline began: the villa was abandoned and the old traditions of vinegrowing and winemaking traditions of the past seemed to be lost.
So it was, until a few years ago, when the plots of ancient history were tied again thanks to the tenacious will of a group of friends, the current members of the Castorani company. Each member is responsible in first person for the different phases of winemaking: from loving cultivation of grapes to careful harvesting, from wine production to promotion and marketing. Combining passion for good wine with the desire to create a marketing campaign dedicated to a production of quality, the company operates in full compliance with the ancient farmers’ values that for centuries have animated these country lands, in the wake of an ancient history of devotion to the generous Abruzzo territory.
After years of passionate work, now the selection of wines by Castorani is the clear expression of an area devoted to the production of grapes of superb quality, with great passion transformed into wine through traditional techniques. Our bottles tell the hills at 350 meters above sea level in the municipality of Alanno, in the Province of Pescara, where the vineyards, nestled between the Majella National Park and the nearby Adriatic coast, enjoy excellent exposure to the sun and to the night winds, and temperature fluctuations between day and night that give grapes unique and precious features.
Today as in the past, everything revolves around the magnificent mansion that dominates the company, extending for about thirty hectares and nestled in a lush and unspoiled countryside. The vines cultivated are mainly Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, while the white grapes are Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Malvasia, Cococciola, Pecorino and Passerina varieties, and a small area is left to the cultivation of experimental varieties.
The average age of the vines is over thirty years and all the farm land is cultivated with organic farming methods, without the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. In particular, vineyards are protected with biological pest control methods and are fed with natural fertilizers.
