Calalenta Merlot Rosato

Fantini Calalenta Terre Siciliane Rosato is an excellent aperitif, it pairs perfectly with all fish dishes, white meats, fresh cheeses and soups.

The Vesevo cellar falls under the supervision of the Fantini Group. For more information about the group, please consult the About the Producer entry under the Fantini range. With over of 2000 years of history, Campania is a region of ancient winemaking traditions rooted in a territory which - once upon a time - was called “Enotria” (“Land of Wine”) and later became part of what was known as “Magna Graecia”. These wine production areas preceded the arrival of Ulysses, the Mycenaean navigators and the Phoenicians. The wines of Campania were consumed at the best patrician tables in Rome, until the disastrous eruption of the volcano Vesuvius put a (temporary) end to the local cultivation of grapes. Precious archaeological finds also testify to the excellent quality of the local wine, known in ancient times as “the wine of the emperors”. Wine production at Vesevo is conducted under the supervision of two of the most illustrious Italian consultant/winemakers, Alberto Antonini and Filippo Baccalaro. In 2015, Alberto Antonini was named among the top 5 winemakers in the world by Decanter Magazine. He has worked as senior winemaker for some of the most famous wine brands around the world, such as Antinori, Frescobaldi, and E & J Gallo (USA). He also consults for several wineries in 8 different wine-producing countries: Italy, Uruguay, Chile, USA, Armenia, Australia, Canada, and Argentina. Filippo Baccalaro stems from Piedmont but has always loved the south of Italy for its wonderful climate and the great quality of its grapes. He has supervised numerous harvest seasons in France as well as in South Africa, Chile and Australia. He is recognized as one of the most qualified winemakers in Italy and throughout the world and his wines have been rewarded with more than 40 gold medals worldwide. On several occasions he has been on the panel of judges at the London International Wine Challenge as well as for the Italian Association of Winemakers’ best winery selection at Vinitaly.

The production areas are situated Ortona and Pollutri, in Abruzzo. In order to ensure the highest possible aromatic expression, only selected Merlot grapes grown at the foot of the Maiella mountain massif (3,000 metres asl) are used.

Fantini Calalenta Merlot Rosato is kept in stainless steel tanks where it receives a light and short aging on the lees for 30 days, after which it is gently fined, filtered and subsequently bottled.

The grapes are hand-picked at night time (“calalenta”) in order to preserve their full aromas. After picking, the grapes are rapidly pressed and cooled down to -1°C using inert atmosphere generation. The free-run juice is fermented in stainless steel tanks at 10°C for 20 days.