At the foot of the Tuscolani hills, at the heart of a most prestigious region for the production of Frascati doc sits the ancient farmhouse Cerquetta, the austere witness and symbol of a two centuries-old tradition.
Here, in the town of Monteporzio Catone, Vincenzo Ciuffa continues the wine production activity started by his own family in 1793 in the nearby areas of Colle Mattia, Marmorelle, Corvio.
In the ancient farmhouse, now efficiently restructured to become rational and comfortable, today equipped with sophisticated oenological facility , Vincenzo Ciuffa carries his activity combining experience and expert selection of modern technical solutions together with tradition.
Here in this fabulous farmhouse Vincenzo Ciuffa has created "his" Frascati doc Superiore, "his" wines, "his" Spumante Brut and "his" Grappa.
The Cantina Cerquetta reaches the heights through the quantity of grapes harvested and made into wine from the Frascati territory, but most important is the quality of the wine produced. This is due thanks to the attentive and meticulous care with which the Ciuffa family and their team of wine specialists follow all phases from harvesting the grapes till bottling the wine.
The fine quality, which has made Cantina Cerquetta label known and demanded worldwide, is the result of a wide ranging policy with various objects: careful and minute care in choosing the grapes, the use of the latest technology for both production and bottling, different processes for different grapes and last but not least, insisting that the grapes be gathered by hand in the cool dawn hours, to avoid they can heat up in the sun. In this way, they are passed at a night time temperature and the juice is more aromatic and flavoured.
The grapes are gathered from traditional vineyards in the surrounding area and taken to the company center. Here, before pressing, they are checked for quality by highly qualified personnel, then they are selected and discharged into a special conveyor.
After long, slow fermentation at controlled temperature, the grapes are transformed into wine. This last phase is carried out at low temperature, constantly controlled and maintained in two groups of 150.000 frigories. After the wine is fermented and powered, it's ready for bottling.
From the selected peels of D.O.C. grapes the "Grappa d FRASCATI" is distilled, completing the prestigious range of the Cantina Cerquetta products.