The farm
“Podere Sedime” was recorded in the Sienese area land register in 1692 as the property of the Gherardi family (source: Archivio di Stato di Siena).
I could begin from this point and tell you the richly detailed history of the area, the men who owned and cultivated the land, the events that brought it to its present state. But I’d rather talk about the present: my family, our objectives, how our wines are made, because the results we obtain are the fruit of our passion for our work.
In the late Nineties we increased the vineyard area. We chose a suitable, nicely aspected plot of land with mixed tufaceous soil speckled with fossil shells dating back millions of years when the area was under the sea. We renovated the old farmhouse and round barriques now lie where the stables for the huge Chianina cows once stood.
Aware that in order to make fine quality wines we needed experienced professionals, we sought out the sector’s expert consultants able to help us lead the winery towards our established quality objectives. They made a considerable contribution to the production of the wines we had envisaged.
Pieve di Corsignano
As the symbol of our winery we chose the caryatid (a female figure with an austere and stiff demeanour, a clearly recognisable symbol of prosperity and fertility) from the ancient 8th century Pieve di Corsignano in Val d’Orcia’s artistic nature park. For centuries the bells of the Pieve have marked time for the country workers who, like my family, lived on this land.
As long ago as the year 1000 these parish churches played an important role for the people living in the surrounding countryside who flocked there not only to attend religious services but also to exchange farm produce and gather local news and information from this their only source.
Pieve di Corsignano is an example of how the pagan and Christian cultures managed to coexist, giving life to a whole which represented a synthesis of the hopes of simple folk.
