Tenuta Scrafana

THE ESTATE 

Winemaking tradition has always been a permanent feature of Tenuta Scrafana, set within the unique landscape of the Montevarchi hills, and the agricultural calling of this land is attested by history.

Indeed, Tenuta Scrafana has been around since ancient times, and today 20 of its 50 hectares of land are vineyards. It also includes approximately 300 olive trees as well as a small, precious orchard of ancient tree varieties. 

Every single Scrafana product is a tribute to this magnificent land, and especially to the town of Montevarchi. That's why the prehistoric elephant was chosen as the Estate's symbol. This magnificent pachyderm, which roamed the area around two million years ago, with its fossil remains preserved in the Museo Paleontologico di Montevarchi (Montevarchi Paleontological Museum), encapsulates the unique magic of a “middle-earth” that's steeped in history and culture which, since the dawn of time, has seen the passage of heroes, wayfarers and pilgrims. One of them was the great Hannibal who travelled across Italy with elephants to challenge Rome. 

The land is truly unique. In the heart of the hill on which the Estate stands, in an area where a lake once stood during the Pleistocene era, there are soils of varying textures, from sandy loam to sandy clay, both deep or shallow, which are skeletal throughout. The nature of the terrain together with the hillside location, its exposition and the microclimate, with its significant night/day temperature variations, enable the cultivation of a variety of high quality produce. The company philosophy, founded on the use of environmentally friendly techniques, is particularly geared towards the attainment of high quality grapes, with perfect technological and phenolic ripening. As well as the cultivation of the vines, the presence of the orchard, olive grove and woods, water courses and wild species all contribute to maintaining and developing an important biodiversity that's vital to all living beings.

THE PHILOSOPHY 

The land comes first. 

Our primary concern is for the soil, it's only through the painstaking care of the soil that we can assure the quality of the wine and other products. Sustainability and biodiversity are the key words that form the foundation of our commitment and in order to guarantee the natural fertility of the soil we are constantly looking for the perfect balance between technology and tradition. Indeed, innovation can be a precious ally, but history and tradition have always been grand masters. 

It's in this spirit that we've created a modern, state-of-the-art Estate, one that's open to experimenting with the most innovative technological solutions and that safeguards the environment at every single level so as to achieve the kind of natural harmony that, in itself, can guarantee the future of our agricultural sector.

OUR WINES 

Good wine is a precious and delicate gift from nature. 

We are, first and foremost, farmers, hence we carry out every single phase of the winemaking process with the utmost care and attention, arriving at the culmination of our work, the harvest, with great joy and emotion. 

All our grapes are harvested by hand. As soon as the grapes are off the vines and in the winery, they are vinified at controlled temperature in steel and concrete vats. The wine is aged in steel, concrete and clay amphorae as well as in large and small oak barrels. The final stage of the ageing process occurs in bottles within our winery, where the temperature and humidity are controlled to ensure the wine is ready to drink at its very best.

The grapes varieties are mainly indigenous Tuscan as Sangiovese, Colorino, Canaiolo, Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia. These are combined with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. 

The vineyards were created to accommodate the terroir and designed to fully respect the environment, including the landscape, using techniques and materials with low environmental impact and respecting the pre-existing appearance. The aim of the agricultural techniques employed is to fully protect the biodiversity and to ensure the level of quality in the final product is one that is only associated with genuinely fine wines. Low vine yields, cover cropping, respect for the soil and the use of organic products are the cornerstones of our cultivation.