We have received kind permission to share with you one of the most beautiful—and we believe oldest—cellars in Montalcinello. We think we can say that we are looking at a “blend” of rocks: it is not one solid, single rock, but a chaotic mix of different fragments. Geologists call them Breccias or Conglomerates. That brown-orange color that binds the stones should be the effect of “rust” due to the presence of iron minerals (we are in the Metalliferous Hills) in the soil, which have oxidized over millennia in contact with air and water.
Why did our ancestors dig cellars right here? Because this mix of stones and clay, if kept dry, is incredibly solid and ensures perfect thermal insulation. The ideal setting to protect wine (to discover the exquisite wines produced in our area visit https://belagaio.com/vini/ ).
There’s a hole in the cellar ceiling... and it’s there for a brilliant reason! 🍷🕳️
They told me that the hole in the ceiling of this old cellar was used to lower the wine directly from the floor above. It sounds unbelievable, but it’s all true (and it was a brilliant technique)! Here’s how it worked:
The "Tinaia" on the floor above: The room exactly above the cellar was where the pressing took place.
Zero effort: Imagine having to carry buckets full of must down the steep, slippery stairs of a cellar... backbreaking work! Our grandparents, instead, used gravity. Through that hole (called a caditoia), they let the wine flow down using pipes or large funnels straight into demijohns or barrels on the level below.
Rural ingenuity that anticipated the future: The most fascinating thing? Today the most luxurious modern wineries are designed exactly like this, on multiple levels! It’s called “gravity-flow winemaking”: moving wine with gravity means not using mechanical pumps, which “stress” the liquid and spoil its aromas.
We would be honored to host experts and geologists eager to study the composition of these rocks and their most curious formations, such as the famous “Skull” of the Scogli. Please don’t hesitate to contact us to arrange a visit.
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