THE FARM
Vitivinicola Rota –The quality of tradition and innovation.
118 acres of wineyard in the land of Lambrusco
The
Rota winemaking company has a property of 67 acres used
for its winemaking, and rents out another 51 acres to neighboring farms. Castellazzo
is in the heart of the territory of Lambrusco wine, traditional
Balsamic vinegar, and
Parmigiano Reggiano. The farm is easily visited; located
between Modena and Reggio Emilia and only one km. off the Via Emilia.
Vitivinicola Rota is one of the few farms with a private winery.
We do all production phases; from the production of the
grapes, their transformation into juice and wine, to bottling the final product.
Primary sector (agriculture), Secondary (industrial), and the tertiary (marketing)
are all under one management for maximum quality control.
Brief history - from the 50ies to today
The family
tradition in winemaking dates back to 1907 when Roberto Rota was managing
a winery in the nearby village of Arceto.
His son Benso took over this job, and then, through his skills, managed
to buy land, grow grapes, and build his own winery. This specific
farm, Castellazzo, came from the division among the heirs of one of
the largest farms in the territory owned by Benso Rota. The land of
Castellazzo was the first Benso acquired in the middle of the fifties
and remained at the center of activity because of the winery that he remodelled
and enlarged in 1960 over an existing winery built at the end of the
1800’s. The farm is now managed by Benso’s son, Dario Rota, who
gave up his profession as an architect in order to dedicate his efforts and
enthusiasm to the Vitivinicola Rota and fullfill his childhood passion of
farming.
The winery
The
total capacity is 50,000 hl. The winery was originally designed for national
and international wholesale trade and manufacture of vines and musts. Now
only a part of it is being used — that section which transforms the
grapes coming from the farm’s native vineyard.
In order to achieve the best quality of wine, the building has recently
been renewed with oenologic equipment of the last generation such as refrigerators
and stainless steel tanks.
The vineyards
The
grapes grown are typical of the area: Lambrusco Salamino, Lambrusco
Maestri,
Lambrusco Marani, Lambrusco Grasparossa and Ancelotta.
The vines are trained along a divided trellis (a Geneva Double Curtain -
G.D.C.) and are entirely mechanized. All operations, like pruning vintage,
are made using in-house labour and machinery. In order to achieve the maximum
control of quality, we do not hire outside companies.
Following the best modern crop techniques and thanks to the generous and
rich soil, vineyards are never irrigated, even during the summer months.
The average production is therefore lower, (around 140 ql. Per hectar),
than the average of the area, (around 200 per hectar and occasionally 300).
The
vines gain an enormous benefit.We produce healthy grapes with little
or no use of pesticides that are high in sugar, polyphenols,
anthocyanins, tannins, and resveratrol; all qualities that give wine structure, body, strong
colour and taste.
The company has embraced organic farming methods since 2005. The farm is certified as “organically grown grapes N. 1644/09”.
