Our history
The Gialletti and Cotarella families, expert viticulturists in Orvieto the former, world-famous wine-makers the latter, founded Carraia in 1988.
The winery made its debut in 1988 with an Orvieto Classico DOC, result of a meticulous selection of clones with low productivity and particularly interesting aromas.
Traditional vines were flanked, a few years later, by an expressive and rotund Chardonnay. The result was Poggio Calvelli, a refined particularly persistent and fresh Orvieto, appreciated above all for its excellent quality / price ratio.
Meanwhile, in the San Valentino vineyard, today focal point of the estate, the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon vines, considered “heretical” in an area dominated by white wines, have matured. Notwithstanding, the “heresy” was widely accepted thanks to the quality and exceptional elegance of "Fobiano" (1995), a Bordeaux matured for 12 months in French barriques. The results of this superb example of Umbrian stock corroborate the fact that that these lands are capable of producing great red wines. This was however nothing new. In the sixteenth century Sante Lancerio, in charge of supplying wine for the cellars of Pope Paul III, had sensed the passion of his Holiness for that red wine, called "Sucano", produced in the hills near Orvieto.
In search of autochthonous vines
The quality of Fobiano, passion for red wines and the desire to give luster to the autochthonous tradition are the underlying reasons for a new wine project, in the form of new plantings of Sangiovese and Montepulciano. While they were already present in the territory, they were still “looking for an author” who would be able to discover their potentialities. “Sangiovese” was created in 1997, a wine characterized by a pleasant freshness and lively flavor, and easy to drink.
“Tizzonero,” a blend of Sangiovese and Montepulciano, is particularly well-rounded , harmonizing the flavorful incisiveness of Sangiovese with the dense suavity of Montepulciano.
The quality of Carraia’s Montepulciano came as a surprise and it was decided to launch the wine by itself. In 2003 “Giro di Vite”, a superbly balanced wine, made its appearance. Appealing and dense, with a complex aromatic blend, it is matured for 12 months in oak barriques.
“La Carraia”, which has made a name for itself on both national and international markets, maintains a special bond with the land and its rhythms. Still today, Odoardo Gialletti and his sons Mauro and Marco make the rounds of the various vineyards overseeing the work of maintenance to ensure the quality that is, before anything else, the result of a love for nature and the work of man.