Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara is the story of a return to the land of his origins by Stefano Antonucci, who in 1994 abandoned his job as a banker to follow up on a personal dream and succeeded in transforming the family's social winery into the present winery. The winery's sign derives precisely from the name of its hometown, which traces its roots back as far as the 6th century, when Senigallia, historically the largest town in the surrounding area, was a Byzantine city. A Lombard outpost settled in a nearby village was thus referred to as a barbarian, and that appellation persisted over time, until it morphed into the feminine when the center was entrusted to the patronal care of the Saint.

Santa Barbara is based in the municipality of Barbara, in the province of Ancona, within the Castelli di Jesi appellation area. The property covers a total area of about 45 hectares, divided among the centers that stretch across the winding hills of the Marche: Montecarotto, Cupramontana, Arcevia, Serra de' Conti and Morro d'Alba. The characteristic feature of these areas is the clayey, water-rich soils enclosed between the Adriatic coastal strip to the east and the Apennine chain to the west: the slopes reach up to 250 meters above sea level and take advantage, on average, of an east and southeast exposure. The vines constitute an important heritage between 25 and 40 years old, managed manually with interventions that continue from January to October and carried out by renowned technicians as well as experienced winemakers in the area. The varieties emphasized are obviously the typical local ones, with Verdicchio above all and then the black berry Lacrima; a discourse of originality and creative touch has been devoted to the plantings planted with the international Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Santa Barbara winery has its production facility in the village. It is equipped with modern equipment, and winemaking takes place in 50- and 100-hectoliter stainless steel vats or in concrete tanks, both of which are always temperature-controlled. The barrique cellar, on the other hand, has been set up inside an old monastery, in the spaces that were historically used for the fermentation of wines: constant temperature and humidity in fact guarantee an optimal environment for maturation and aging in barrels, represented by barrique champenoise and 450-liter tonneaux. The proposed range consists of all types of wines, to land on spirits, on the thread of the founder's inexhaustible curiosity.