Abbey Farm
www.agricolamonteoliveto.com
In our farming methods here at Monte Oliveto, great care is taken to ensure that our products are organic and are cultivated using an agropolicy which is eco-friendly, respects natural resources, the biodiversity of the countryside and its conservation. Our farming principles help in the control of erosion, a very real problem, and maintaining the fertility of the soil through crop rotation and the use of 'green' fertilisers; thus greatly reducing the need of synthetic and chemical products.
Every year a third of the farm's ground surface is sown at rotation with this crop. Spelt belongs to the Gramineae family, and is rich in carbohydrates and low in lipids. On our farm we grow the Tritticum Dicoccum species, distinguished by its bigger size grain and easier cooking. Spelt can be used with every dish in place of pasta and rice. It is excellent in soups and with salads and risotto.
2. Wine
There has always been a tradition of wine-making at the abbey. We are proud of our results, and our wines are highly regarded. Our wine cellars are large and spacious: the vats themselves indicate how the abbey has, and is, a reference point for the harvesting, not only of its own grapes, but also of those who work the land in the surrounding area.
The grapes that make the great wines of Tuscany - Sangiovese, Colorino and Canaiola, are at the basis of the abbey's wines. Lately, we have undertaken a renewal programme to increase the productivity of our vines by adding Sangiovese, Cabernet, Merlot and Vermentino to our vineyards. With our technical supervisors, we produce, bottle and market all our wine.
The wine cellar
Constructed during the second half of the 14th. centuy, it consists of two parts: a vat room, still used for the fermentation of the grapes and a room for storing the wine in wooden barrels. It is possible to visit the cellar and sample the wines and oil.
Index card: Red wine - Index card: White wine
Our olive groves, comprising about 5,000 trees, cover an area of 25 hectares distributed throughout the beautiful hills of Siena. Following the ancient local tradition, we still use a method of crushing the olives known as 'cold press'. Our extra-virgin olive oil is justifiably famous and carries the certification of quality and safety issued by the Public Authority of the Regione Toscana.
FARM PRODUCTS
Az. Agricola di Monte Oliveto Maggiore
53041 - ASCIANO (SI)
Tel./Fax (+39) 0577 70 72 69 - Mobile phone: 3287192415
e-mail: azienda.agricola@monteolivetomaggiore.it