Play Video
NATURE AND TRADITION: THE FARM
The sea is only 8 kilometers away and rolling hills, vineyards and olive groves surround the variegated landscape of the town of Atri in the Abruzzo region where our farmland lies. Nearby, national parks, woods and badlands, all wonderfully preserved, are waiting to be discovered in the majestic silence that seems to characterize this region of Italy suspended in time and space. Cirelli Farms is the name of our IMC*-certified organic farmland situated on 22 hectares of fertile land. Everything produced on our farm is done so respecting the sustainable natural cycles of our olive groves, vineyards, organic horticultural crop fields and animal breeding. Crop rotation, a period of rest for the soil, fertilization and livestock grazing are only some of the vital steps in the process of producing wine (in terracotta wine jars), olive oil, organically grown fruit and vegetables and meat of the finest quality.
GOOD FARMING PRACTICES
Cirelli Farms grow and produce in full compliance with organic farming laws, however we believe that nature itself dictates its own laws and it is these laws upon which we base our farming procedures:
– Crop rotation and nutrient cycling which allows the soil to “rest” and regenerate its nutrient content;
– Natural fertilization by means of animals grazing directly on the soil. The manure produced by the animals guarantees a natural herbicide and method of fertilization without resorting to harmful chemicals.
The production cycle is broken down as follows: during the first year of production wheat, barley, spelt and alfalfa are sown while the following year the land must necessarily be cultivated for vegetable crops. For the third and fourth year of production, the choice of vegetation falls upon plants such as sunflowers which have shoots that may be placed underground once the seeds have been picked: in so doing, when these shoots begin to decompose they release precious nutrients into the soil.
FRANCESCO AND MICHELA
“I was just a little boy. My maternal grandparents Giovina and Attilio used to take me to the countryside that they had left years before to live in the city. I still recall when my grandmother used to prepare a fresh egg for me to eat or the time my grandfather gently placed a fuzzy chick in my hand and the time he let me sit upon his tractor while I imagined we were making our way through the fields on it! These memories also bring to mind my paternal grandfather Francesco: he loved to find refuge in the vineyards, the place that most offered him peace and inner well-being.
Today, just as in the past, the countryside has become a safe haven where I come to find genuine affection, solid values, and serenity.
Since 2003, thanks to the support of my family, the countryside has become much more than mere childhood memories; it has become a part of my livelihood which I practice today alongside my wife Michela.”
THE KEY FIGURES BEHIND CIRELLI WINES
Paolo Colaizzo. Agricultural Company, Winery, and wines manager.
Alessandro Sferrella. Orders, purchases, warehouse and logistics manager.
