photo by Leif Carlsson
TERROIR

PERFECT INTERACTION


The steep slopes and close proximity to the sea create a microclimate which characterises the Monteverro wines. The fresh breeze, cool nights and sun-drenched days create ideal climatic conditions for good growth. The unique soil composition of multi-layered rock and red clay makes the region one of the most mineral-rich in the world. This terroir gives our wines their characteristic taste.
We see each of our vineyards as a small microcosm that is subject to a variety of influences.
First there is the red clay, a distinctive feature of the soil. A mineral-rich terrain, interspersed with rock providing natural drainage. This forces the vine roots to grow downward as far as possible and fully exploit the minerality of the soil. During the often rainy winter months, the high clay content of the soil stores the moisture, which the deep-rooted vines use in the hot summer months.
Visitors can see this mineral-rich terroir with its remarkable red soil and layers of rock for themselves: an ancient naturally-formed stone wall, around half a metre high, overgrown with Mediterranean scrub, extends along the path leading above the vineyards to a vantage point. This evergreen scrubland that extends for several square kilometres in the north of the vineyard estate and which benefits biodiversity, surrounds the vines with the spicy, varied aroma of wild flowers, herbs and bushes.
Another winning feature is the constant sea breeze that ensures a temperate climate: even on hot August nights it surrounds the vines as a cooling breeze, and gives the wines a certain invigorating saltiness. Monteverro’s location in a small bay allows the vines to benefit naturally from long summers with consistently high temperatures and low rainfall.

Our motto is: a good wine is not made in the cellar but in the vineyard. This philosophy is based on a holistic approach to the treatment of the soil from which the vines draw all their strength and health. We see our soil as a living organism whose balance is upset by the use of herbicides, insecticides and fungicides. Instead, we believe it more important to let nature take its course and to promote biodiversity so as to make the most of the valuable terroir. Therefore an eco-friendly winemaking operation that respects nature’s produce is a fundamental prerequisite for us, both in the vineyard and in the cellar.