The Sportoletti family, in agriculture for generations, have always also been passionately dedicated to the production of wine in Umbria and at the end of the 1970s the brothers Ernesto and Remo decided to turn their attention exclusively to wine making; treasuring their father Vittorio's teachings, they introduced on the market the first thousand bottles with their own label.
From there began the long journey in pursuit of the perfect balance between innovation and tradition, endeavouring to realise the full potential of their territory, the hills of Spello and Assisi on which lie the 20 hectares of vineyards now owned by the company.
Sportoletti now produce four wines: Assisi Rosso D.O.C., Assisi Grechetto D.O.C., Villa Fidelia Bianco I.G.T., Villa Fidelia Rosso I.G.T.; the production in the last ten years has been around 200,000 bottles a year.
The company also produces organic extra virgin olive oil. Their 2,500 olive trees, predominantly Moraiolo, are cultivated at an altitude of around 500 metres on the slopes of Monte Subasio.
The 20 hectares or so ( about 50 acres) of vineyards owned by Sportoletti are situated on the hills of Spello and Assisi; the local "Denominazione di Origine Controllata" gives the appellation of "Assisi". The gradual process of renewing the vines has led to a more rational method of vine growing thanks to the introduction of the "spurred cord" pruning system and to the high density of plantation: 5,000 vines per hectare, which allow control over the number of buds and consequently the productivity of the vines.
For our reserve wines, a "thinning" or selective harvest of the grapes is carried out in the period when the grapes are beginning to ripen, in order to obtain an average yield of 1 Kg of grapes per plant.
Among the vines presently cultivated is the "autoctono" Grechetto, of which the G5 clone has been chosen as a slightly less productive but more characteristic strain.
The Chardonnay vineyard, who's grapes are designated for the reserve white wine, is found on the slopes of Monte Subasio at an altitude of 500 metres (1640 feet).
As far as the red wines are concerned Merlot is a partivular variety;a clone was selected and propagated from an old vine which belonged to Sportoletti for fifty years and which, over the years, has become as one of the company's winning cards.
For the Sangiovese too, new clones have been planted which give a lower yield but are richer in colour. The same is true for the Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.
In 2003 work began on the new wine cellars, planned by Ernesto and Remo based on their direct experience, to enable all the processes of the wine making to be carried out with the greatest care and efficiency, thanks also to the use of the latest technology:
- Pneumatic press for the gentle pressing of the grapes and Temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks for fermentation;
- French oak barriques for the maturation of the wines;
- Latest generation bottling plant;
Innovation, tradition and technology work together to give the wine its unique identity and to make it an ever more eloquent expression of the land it originates from.
In 1998 the company decided to avail themselves of the highly esteemed agronomic and oenological consultancy of Riccardo Cotarella; this marked the start of a highly successful professional collaboration as well as a valued friendship.