“La Casa dell'Orco” winery
The company is named after the homonymous town located in the countryside of the San Michele hamlet, between the villages of Pratola Serra and Montefalcione, where it’s still possible to admire, right near one of our vineyards, a majestic megalithic monument made of three stones about five metres high and two metres wide, thrust deep into the ground, one beside the other, in a layout denominated “menhir alignment” by archaeologists.
Struck by the charm of the place, the Lucanian writer Maria Padula, also famous for her valuable painting production, set there a short and suggestive tale in which she told of how Silpa, a shepherd from Irpinia, would free the inhabitants of the area from the bloody fierceness of Cronopa, the Ogre.
Our family claims very ancient traditions in viticulture, and since 1993 it’s been developing its products by transforming them directly in the new cellar built in the corporate centre, where the most advanced winemaking techniques are employed, thus emphasizing the fragrances and the flavours of the incomparable Irpinia wines.
Our vineyards spread over approximately 30 hectares and are all located on hills and highly dedicated areas, at an altitude of 350-500 metres above sea level, in the village districts of Pratola Serra, Montefalcione, Lapio, Prata P.U., Santa Paolina and Tufo, with a density of 2,500 to 3,500 plants per hectare. Espalier system (the vines are entwined and two metres from each another), classic Guyot pruning/trimming. We fully apply the principles of integrated pest control, with a minimum use of fertilizers and pesticides, and totally without synthetic substances.
The maximum production yield is 10,000 kg per hectare; the actual yield doesn’t exceed 6,000-7,000 kg per hectare. The passion and the tilling care we dedicate to our vineyards, and the thorough selection of grapes – which are all vinified in purity and with traditional methods – allow us to proudly state that the quality of our wines is achieved in the field even before they reach the cellar.