Umani Ronchi

Umani Ronchi has been in the Bianchi-Bernetti family for almost fifty years, having been founded as an Azienda Agricola (agricultural company) in 1957 by Gino Umani Ronchi at Cupramontana, in the heart of the production area of Verdicchio Classico, in the Marche Region. 

Its true productive and commercial development began a couple of years later, when the company was joined by Roberto Bianchi and his son-in-law Massimo Bernetti. An important milestone was the conversion to being alimited-liability Azienda Vinicola (winegrowing company) on 4 January 1968. A short while afterwards, under the direction of Massimo Bernetti, the operational and entrepreneurial brains of the Company and now its sole proprietor, some important investments were made.

The existing Castelbellino winery, which for some years had been used for the vinification of Verdicchio, was expanded. A new operational and administrative headquarters was set up in 1969 at Osimo, with a wineryattached (see photo), for Rosso Conero and for wine bottling and storage.

Umani Ronchi’s expansion, and its success on the market (especially foreign markets, Germany and England in particular), favoured its development and enabled it to consolidate. On 15 June 1973 it finally changed its trading title to Azienda Vinicola Umani Ronchi SpA.

The subsequent years were decisive for the Company’s growth. Massimo Bernetti realised that the wine scene in the Marche was dominated by Verdicchio, which on the one hand was a wine which met with favour on international markets, but on the other hand it put in the shade the other wines of the Marche and Abruzzo, particularly the red wines, Rosso Coneroand Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, which Umani Ronchi itself produced. Theneed to boost these other wines led to the decision to invest strongly in qualitative improvement of the entire productive chain, a consequence of which would be an expansion of the range of wines on offer. 

This was the correct direction to take, and during the 1980s increasing attention was paid to the principal red wine of the Marche, Rosso Conero, which became one of the Company’s leading products. 1983 was the first year of production of San Lorenzo, followed by Cumaro in 1985.

Simultaneously, the role of Verdicchio was renewed, with the creation of crus andriserve, capable of competing with the best of Italian white wines. First of all came Casal di Serra, which was produced from 1983onwards, followed in 1985 by Villa Bianchi. At the same time, production began on other regional DOCs such as Bianchello del Metauro and Lacrima di Morro d’Alba.

With the start of the 1990s, Massimo Bernetti still had ideas and objectives to achieve: extending the vineyards, and above all continuing to improve the quality of Umani Ronchi wines. This led to a search for, and purchase of, better plots planted with vines. At the same time, he consulted experts and academic institutions to discover the most advanced techniques in winemaking and agronomy. Thus began a new period, which would see him joined by his son Michele, and would take Umani Ronchi to the threshold of the third millennium.

© Umani Ronchi

The unique and unmistakeable style of our wines comes from our region, a marvellous setting of lush hills running down to the Adriatic sea.

For thousands of years the vine has flourished in this environment, favoured by long hours of sunshine alternating with sea breezes which mitigate the harshness of the colder months. 

The Marche Region is outstandingly suitable for viticulture and has the essential attributes for making fine wines. Umani Ronchi has been able to take advantage of these precious qualities: loose, calcareous soils for red grape varieties, fairly heavy clay soils for white wines, combined with a microclimate among the most gentle and generous in the world.

Umani Ronchi has distinguished itself since the beginning as a great interpreter of two of the most typical wines of the region,Verdicchio and Rosso Conero, and has played a leading role in experimentation and the introduction of advanced technology. In particular, during the last fifteen years we have gone through a long period of renewal in our vineyards, increasing the density of vines planted per hectare, selecting more suitable clones and rootstocks and modifying the form of training where necessary.

The results of this experience have recently been transferred to the neighbouring region of the Abruzzi, where in 2002 we purchased a 30 hectare estate in the Teramane Hills, a designated sub-area for the DOC appellation Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, which has now been recognised as the first and only DOCG wine in the region.

Between the Marche and the Abruzzi, the land in the Company’s ownership planted with vines now covers an area of 200 hectares, made up as follows: 110 hectares of Verdicchio Classico, 60 hectares of Rosso Conero and 30 hectares of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo / Colline Teramane.

VINEYARDS

SAN LORENZO

An estate that covers a total of 35 hectares, San Lorenzo is one of the vineyards the Bianchi-Bernettis have owned for longest. It was here in the mid Sixties that the family began planting plots for the production of Rosso Conero. It was here, too, that the first small plot of Cabernet Sauvignon was planted in the mid Eighties.

From the mid Nineties, the estate’s constant experiments with more modern, rational vine cultivation techniques led to the replanting of most of the old vines at much higher densities using cordon training and spur pruning. In the meantime, this superb vineyard produced wines like Cumaro, San Lorenzo and Pelago. The vineyard’s best growing site was replanted in the early Noughties with vines that would, along with a section of an adjacent older vineyard, become the heart of a project the created Campo San Giorgio.

Grape variety: montepulciano 30 hectares, sangiovese 1 hectare, cabernet sauvignon 2 hectares, merlot 2 hectares

Soil type: very deep, medium-textured, clay and silt, very calcareous

Exposure: extured, clay and silt, very calcareous Aspect:

Altitude: 100-150 metres above sea level

Planting's year: 1989 and 2012

Planting's patterns: 2.1-3 metres between the rows; 0.6-1.5 metres between the vines

Vine density: 2,976-7,936 plants per hectare

Training systems: cordon-trained and spur-pruned, Guyot

Grape yield: 50-90 quintals per hectare

SALINE

In the mid Seventies, the Saline holding was partially planted to vine for the production of Rosso Conero. The site was so good that subsequently the entire estate was converted to grape-growing and today is one of the most important plantings in the entire growing zone for Rosso Conero.

A number of different varieties are grown at Saline as well as montepulciano and sangiovese.

Grape variety: montepulciano 10 hectares, cabernet sauvignon 3 hectares, merlot 3 hectares

Soil type: very deep, clay and silt, calcareous

Exposure: East-west

Altitude: 100-150 metres above sea level

Planting's year: 1974 and 2001

Planting's patterns: 2.6-3 metres between the rows; 1-1.5 metres between the vines

Vine density: 2,222-3,846 plants per hectare

Training systems: Cordon-trained and spur-pruned, old vines double Guyot

Grape yield: 80-90 quintals per hectare

PIANTATE LUNGHE

The Piantate Lunghe holding extends over just 9 hectares. It was acquired by Umani Ronchi in 1998 primarily because the winery’s technical staff had identified the area as one with outstanding wine potential.

The soil type, superb location and a special, warm microclimate make Piantate Lunghe an ideal place to ripen montepulciano grapes.

Grape variety: Montepulciano 8 hectares, Sangiovese 1 hectare

Soil type: Deep, medium-textured, clayey, sandy in parts, calcareous, fairly pebbly

Exposure: South/south-west

Altitude: 150-200 metres above sea level

Planting's year: 1998 and 1999

Planting's patterns: 2.2 metres between the rows; from 0.8 metres between the vines

Vine density: 5,681 plants per hectare

Training systems: Cordon-trained and spur-pruned

Grape yield: 60-90 quintals per hectare

​© Umani Ronchi

Since the beginning of its history, the Azienda Vinicola Umani Ronchi has distinguished itself as a great interpreter of two of the most typical wines of the Marche region, Verdicchio and Rosso Conero.

Massimo Bernetti, who since the 1990s has been joined in the management of the Company by his son Michele (see photo), has created wines which are appreciated throughout the world, has renovated the vineyard stock and has refurbished the great winery at Osimo, but he is not yet satisfied and stubbornly insists on following the imperatives of a product of the highest quality. All this translates into serious work of experimental agronomy and vineyard care, and the adoption of the most advanced techniques of cultivation and vinification.

In the last few years the growth of interest in the wines produced in the neighbouring region of Abruzzo led Umani Ronchi SpA in 2002 to purchase a 30 hectare holding in the Teramane hills, a designated sub-area of Doc Montepulciano d'Abruzzo which has achieved an upgrade to the prestigious appellation Docg. Here, in the picturesque farmhouse which dominates an estate well-planted with vineyards, a vinification winery is to be constructed, to join the existing ageing cellar.

Currently, the land in the Company’s ownership planted with vines covers an area of 200 hectares, distributed over ten distinct plots each with unique characteristics, respecting and making the most of the terroir and indigenous vines of the Marche and Abruzzo. Research is also being energetically pursued with the most representative international varieties, such asChardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, for creating innovative wines which can stand comparison with the finest in the world.

The most exciting result of this passion is Pèlago 1994, which won the prestigious International Wine Challenge in London in 1997and was listed by the magazine Wine Enthusiast in its league table of the 100 top wines of 1998, with the extremely high score of97/100.

Umani Ronchi SpA has achieved great results and can boast real recognition which it has won especially with its fine wines, but also with its products made for a larger market.

​© Umani Ronchi