My trip to Oltrepò Pavese back in September of 2023 was my third time visiting the wine region, the second in the past two years. Each time, I met more producers and discovered endless nuances in the terroir, the winemaking, and the region. I also learned a lot about the history of the area and how much of a crossroads it is and was through the ages.

Standing in the vineyards of Calatroni Vini I could see as far as Emilia Romagna, and Piedmont. The wind was quite strong on top of the hill and we saw a road beneath our feet called the Abbotts Way, part of the Via Francigena.

I love visiting vineyards and learning about all the techniques producers use and about why they use them. The Calatroni winery is a family affair started in 1964. They also have a restaurant. When we were there, a bus of school children were also visiting and exploring the vineyard and the farm animals.

The winery is located on the hills of the village of Montecalvo Versiggia in the Versa Valley. Luigi Calatroni used to be part of the Mezzadria, a tenant farming system in use in Italy until the 1960s and 1970s in some place. He was able to buy the vineyards which he used to work on and began to farm his own land and raise grapes for his own wines. The third generation is now running the winery, brothers Cristian and Stefano. They make beautiful wines which I have been tasting for a number of years now since I began collaborating with the Consortium of Oltrepò. Their bubbles, or Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico DOCG wines are gorgeous, elegant, and ethereal.

I loved their Metodo Classico Extra Brut made from vines with an average age of more than 25 year old. The Pinot Noir vines grow at 540 meters above sea level on chalk and limestone soils. The vineyard located on a route called the Abbott’s way and the Abbotts are pictured on the label. The wine spends 48 months on its lees. Part of the wine ages in oak barrels, about 20%. The wine had great acidity and minerality which came from the soils. The vineyard was very windy and their was considerable thermal excursion between day and night. I tried another one of their wonderful wines as well called Riva Rinetti Pas Dosé Oltrepò Pavese Metodo Classico Pinot Nero DOCG. It was a Brut Nature with 2g/l of residual sugar. The vineyard for these wines is at 400 meters above sea level and the average age of the vines is around 20 years. The acidity is 8,12 g/l. I loved both of these wines and learning about the work in the vineyards.

In addition to their amazing wines, their practices in the vineyards were very impressive from their using organic manure and non-chemical products, grass cover between rows of vines to compact and protect the soil. They are also focused on saving water and collecting rainwater. 

In the winery, they have a photovoltaic system to save energy. They also have lighter weight bottles, less than 400g and used certified recycled paper for labels and packaging. For their still wines, they use screw caps.

Their commitment to sustainability is also evident in their restaurant where they use local food to reduce CO2 emissions as well as other practices. Like most Italian producers, sustainability for the Calatroni’s is also about social responsibility towards employees and customers, and their local neighborhood.