The Cooperative
Cooperativa Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano, established in 1937, now has around 400 members, who have chosen to work together with passion and respect for the territory and with a common goal: to guarantee increasingly high-quality products at an affordable price.
The vineyards cover the territories of the Tuscan municipalities of Montepulciano, Pienza, Cetona, Torrita di Siena, Sinalunga, Foiano della Chiana, Castiglion Fiorentino, Cortona and Chiusi, as well as the Umbrian municipalities of Città della Pieve and Castiglion del Lago. So Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano embraces two regions and three provinces: Siena and Arezzo in Tuscany, Perugia in Umbria.
The Cooperative places its extensive experience in the sector at the service of its members, offering new and modern processing techniques, as well as a team of agronomists and oenologists who provide support throughout the entire production cycle and in the promotion of the product.
The result is a wide variety of wines, the most important being Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOCG, offered in different versions, for which the Cooperative is leader both locally and worldwide in terms of quantity produced.
Administrative Council
Andrea Rossi
Ilaria Chiasserini
Massimiliano Cappelli, Andrea Ciolfi, Vinicio Del Toro, Rino Fontana, Nicola Giomarelli, Filippo Neri, Claudio Olivieri, Franco Talli, Letizia Tiezzi.
President: Mario Marchi
Regular Auditors: Tamara Garosi – Silvano Stopponi
Auditing Association: S.I.Re.Co. S.r.l.
PRESIDENT
Andrea Rossi
VICE PRESIDENT
Ilaria Chiasserini
COUNCILORS
Massimiliano Cappelli, Andrea Ciolfi, Vinicio Del Toro, Rino Fontana, Nicola Giomarelli, Filippo Neri, Claudio Olivieri, Franco Talli, Letizia Tiezzi.
BOARD OF AUDITORS
President: Mario Marchi
Regular Auditors: Tamara Garosi – Silvano Stopponi
Auditing Association: S.I.Re.Co. S.r.l.
MEMBERS
Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano tells a story made up of people, vineyards and commitment.
Being a member means learning from tradition, guided at all times by respect for our territory and keeping the future constantly in mind.
Our Story
The emblem of Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano is a rampant winged lion, born from the union of the rampant griffin – an ancient mythological symbol which evokes the long history of the Municipality of Montepulciano since its Etruscan origins – and the lion, expression of the Florentine Seignory, which deeply influenced the life of the town in the 15th and 16th centuries from both a political-administrative and architectural-urbanistic point of view.
Established in 1937 by fourteen pioneering winemakers, Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano began its production history in 1940 when it bottled its first vintage.
Having overcome the difficulties of the Second World War and the reorganisation of land ownership in the 1950s, the Cellar spent the next two decades being a real driving force for the entire territory. And this is a role that it still holds today.
What has made this cooperative so important are the people who, despite their large numbers, faithfully reflect the human value of this historic brand.
Our headquarters, built in 1970, is located on the outskirts of the town. It houses the offices, warehouses, storage tanks for finished wines, the bottling line, a shop and the splendid 2800 square metre underground barrel cellar.
1937
Establishment
Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano was established on the 11th of July, thanks to the initiative of fourteen local winemakers.
1940
The First Vintage
The first vintage was bottled three years after the establishment of the Cooperative.
1970
The Headquarters
The Cooperative's headquarters was built at number 7 Via Provinciale, Montepulciano. The headquarters has been extended and modernised over the years to adapt it to ever-changing needs, but never moved.
1987
The 50th Anniversary
Chairman Aldo Trabalzini and the Board of Directors in office celebrated the extraordinary milestone reached by the Cooperative with and for the territory.
2001
The Modern Barrel Cellar
The Cooperative's significant growth imposed the need for more space to age Vino Nobile di Montepulciano in the large Slavonian oak casks used for this purpose: consequently, in 2001, a 2800 sq. m cellar dedicated entirely to the ageing of wines in wood was created.
2007
The 70th Anniversary
To celebrate the Cooperative's 70th anniversary, the magnum of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2003 was customised with a special label.
2007
The Renewal of the Vinification Cellars
The vinification plant was renovated with the purchase of new fermentation tanks and the adaptation of the existing 1200-hectolitre tanks, to accommodate the different types of temperature-controlled vinification.
2012
The New Bottling Line
The new line allows the bottling of up to 5000 bottles an hour, maintaining the product's quality standards. The innovative control of the system - involving the washing and detection of foreign bodies inside the bottle, automatic level adjustment, inertisation with pure gas to guarantee very low oxygen absorption, rejection of non-compliant bottles - helps guarantee the ever-increasing quality of our wines.
2017
The 80th Anniversary
A special label for Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2013 celebrated 80 years of activity by the Cooperative. The barrel cellar was extended for the event and the new warehouses were opened.
OUR NETWORK
Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano is located just outside Montepulciano, where a modern reception centre is going to be opened soon. The other heart of the company, the Vinification Centre, where all the grapes conferred by the members are processed in the best conditions, is located in Montepulciano Stazione. The old town, on the other hand, is home to one of our shops, which is open to the public for sales of the wines and typical products of our members.
The HEADQUARTERS
The historical headquarters of Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano now houses the offices, warehouses, storage tanks for finished wines, the bottling line and the two underground barrel cellars; there is also a shop for the retail sale of our wines next door.
THE HISTORICAL CELLAR
Maturing in wood is a very important part of the ageing of the wines, particularly for Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
The Cooperative has two splendid barrel cellars, known as the “historical” and “modern” cellars.
The “historical cellar”, completed in 1972, is located in an underground tunnel visible from outside through a glass window. It overlooks the main road and contains 160 Slavonian oak barrels with varying capacities of 25, 50, 60 and 100 hectolitres.
THE MODERN CELLAR
The second barrel cellar, which is also underground, was designed in 2001 by Studio Rocchi of Montepulciano Stazione and covers an area of 2800 square metres. The room has a cross vaulted ceiling and is divided into three spans, housing 250 Slavonian oak barrels, with capacities varying between 35 and 85 hectolitres, as well as 17 truncated cone vats in capacities of 50, 65 and 170 hectolitres, as well as French oak barrels and barriques.
This cellar is open to the public by appointment, for visits, tastings and lunches.
THE VINIFICATION CENTRE
A few kilometres from the headquarters in Via Provinciale, in Montepulciano Stazione, the Cooperative has another important location: the winemaking plant. It is possible to process up to 10,000 tonnes of grapes here during each harvest.
THE SHOPS
Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano offers its visitors and wine lovers several points of sale in the area, where they can taste and buy the area’s products of excellence.
THE VISITORS' CENTRE
With a view to being constantly in line with new trends and customer requirements, Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano is working on a tourist reception project that will combine history and tradition with experience and innovation. Inauguration is scheduled for 2023.
OUR NETWORK
Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano is located just outside Montepulciano, where a modern reception centre is going to be opened soon. The other heart of the company, the Vinification Centre, where all the grapes conferred by the members are processed in the best conditions, is located in Montepulciano Stazione. The old town, on the other hand, is home to one of our shops, which is open to the public for sales of the wines and typical products of our members.
The historical headquarters of Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano now houses the offices, warehouses, storage tanks for finished wines, the bottling line and the two underground barrel cellars; there is also a shop for the retail sale of our wines next door.
Maturing in wood is a very important part of the ageing of the wines, particularly for Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. The Cooperative has two splendid barrel cellars, known as the “historical” and “modern” cellars.
The “historical cellar”, completed in 1972, is located in an underground tunnel visible from outside through a glass window. It overlooks the main road and contains 160 Slavonian oak barrels with varying capacities of 25, 50, 60 and 100 hectolitres.
The second barrel cellar, which is also underground, was designed in 2001 by Studio Rocchi of Montepulciano Stazione and covers an area of 2800 square metres. The room has a cross vaulted ceiling and is divided into three spans, housing 250 Slavonian oak barrels, with capacities varying between 35 and 85 hectolitres, as well as 17 truncated cone vats in capacities of 50, 65 and 170 hectolitres, as well as French oak barrels and barriques.
This cellar is open to the public by appointment, for visits, tastings and lunches.
A few kilometres from the headquarters in Via Provinciale, in Montepulciano Stazione, the Cooperative has another important location: the winemaking plant. It is possible to process up to 10,000 tonnes of grapes here during each harvest.
Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano offers its visitors and wine lovers several points of sale in the area, where they can taste and buy the area’s products of excellence.
To always anticipate new trends and customer needs, Vecchia Cantina di Montepulciano has worked on a tourist hospitality project that would combine history and tradition with experience and innovation. The tourist reception center was inaugurated in 2023.
