The Business
Who we are
Il Cerchio is an organic, family-run farm.
Our 9 hectares are divided between a vineyard, an olive grove, a small reforestation area, and a little arable land given over in part to pasture for the now old but happy horse – the only one we have left.
The choice of organic methods of production was made from the very birth of the enterprise in 1988, in the conviction that respect for the environment and for the health of consumer and producer are fundamental concepts on which to build and to give a future not only to agriculture but to the entire ecosystem.
The fertilisers used
are completely organic and, depending on
agronomic needs, substituted by green manure.
The vine protection
treatments are mostly carried out using
copper and sulphur, pest control is entirely mechanical.
The vineyard, currently about 3 hectares, planted between 2000 and 2005, has a
slight exposure to the south-west and east/west oriented rows. It includes the
Ansonica, Vermentino, Sangiovese and Alicante varieties, with a low density of
plantation and single-guyot vine training with 6-8 buds. The subsequent early
selection of clusters allows us to limit the production of grapes per cane and
so to obtain a higher concentration and quality.
A new vineyard of 2 hectares, planted in 2014/2015
winter time,contains Sangiovese and
Alicante , and plus Ciliegiolo and Pugnitello.
The olive-grove, about 1 hectare and a half, with trees between 30 and 6 years old,
includes cultivar as Frantoio, Leccino, Moraiolo and Pendolino, the best
pollinator.
The grape
harvest is carried out manually, only
when optimum maturity is reached. The grapes are collected in small boxes and
immediately moved to the winery to eliminate possible damage to clusters.
The vinification is
traditional, with a long maceration for
the red, while the white is produced at a controlled temperature.
Olive picking is performed manually at the start of maturation and the olives
are taken to the olive press within a very short time so that acidity is kept
at a very low level.
We produce extra-virgin olive oil and four wines: a white, Ansonica Costa
dell’Argentario, two red, Valmarina Sangiovese and Tinto Alicante, and Dolce A.
Ansonica Passito.
We broadened during the years our structures and our range of wines, but
we still have so many projects that we want to realize. Little by little, just
as little by little we have grown in our experience and in our love of this
work.