Tenuta di Castellaro

The Tenuta di Castellaro winery is based in Quattropani, which is the highest village on the island of Lipari. The owner of the estate is Massimo Lentsch, an entrepreneur from Bergamo who, in love with Sicily and Sicilian wine, was already producing wine in the Ragusa area. Following a holiday on the island of Lipari, he realised the high potential of this terroir and established this new winery. The estate consists of several plots of land scattered throughout the island, including Vigna Maggiore, Lisca, Lisca Alta, Caolino and Gelso. The largest area is located in the town of Castellaro, from which the estate is named. There are a total of 20 hectares, located in remote places, from which one can enjoy a breathtaking view of the other islands of the Archipelago, although only nine of these are now planted with vines.

A significant event was Massimo's fortunate meeting with the enologist Salvo Foti, founder of the Consorzio dei Vigneri, who put his many years of experience in the production of wines on the Eolian islands at the disposal of the new winery. The aim of the Consorzio dei Vigneri is to produce wines of excellence while fully respecting nature and the island's traditions, such as the alberello cultivation of the vines with a chestnut wood stake, which has been practised on the island since ancient times.

In 2013, after four years of work, the estate's cellar was officially launched on Lipari, with a formal ceremony attended not only by local authorities but also by a delegation of Japanese wine operators. It is the largest winery in the Eolian islands, with a very modern design and low environmental impact, entirely geared to the natural production of wine. The winemaking process is carried out simply by gravity, without the aid of pumps, the musts ferment on indigenous yeasts and the wine is cooled naturally using a wind tower and other natural alternative energies.

In the volcanic soils, which are rich in pumice and obsidian, vines such as Malvasia di Lipari, Corinto, Carricante, Nero d'Avola and other indigenous varieties have found an exceptionally favourable habitat. The wines produced, as if in honour of the nature of the soil, bear the names of stones and include the Bianco Pomice ("White Pumice") and the Nero Ossidiana ("Black Obsidian"), which are both blends of various grape varieties that have been skillfully combined. These wines are absolutely extraordinary and prestigious, having crossed the borders of Sicily and Italy in a very short time, and reaching as far as Japan, Australia and the United States.