Il Torchio – Wine cellar

For over a hundred years our wine cellar has been the place of production and storage of our family wine.
A few months ago we decided to restructure it to make it more functional and comfortable.
During its restructuration we have been very careful in keeping its original structure and giving greater prominence to the stone walls built directly on the rock so guaranteeing a constant temperature and humidity, fundamental to the preservation of our wine.
The prominent element is the old wine press, which is still used for winemaking.
It is formed by a base of stones worked by hand and in its center it is fixed an iron screw on top of which is placed a large nut, called “spiral”, formed by a disc of iron with holes around the circumference, where a “ratchet” with a triangular base, is housed.
The “ratchet” allows the “spiral” to screw or unscrew along the central screw thanks to the half movement of an ancient pole made of chestnut wood. Considering how worn the pole is, you may guess how old it is!
On the base, interior to the groove where the grape must is flowing, there is a cylindrical cage formed by two semi-cylindrical wooden slats joined by six iron keys (three on each side), where the grape skins are positioned to be squeezed.
In the wine cellar there are two wooden barrels that are still used for red wine and Sciacchetrà, while the D.O.C. Cinque Terre white wine is stored in a steel barrel that contains 1,000 liters.
The Sciacchetrà is kept in the barrel for more than one year and a half after the harvest, and then bottled and placed over wooden shelves where it will remain for at least 4 to 5 years which is the minimum period required for a great refinement, even though, with harvests of high quality grapes and with a good cap cork, you can find excellent Sciacchetrà also after 10 to 15 years.
The guests of the B&B Il Vigneto may visit “Il Torchio” wine cellar and assist to an interesting talk on how the grapes are grown and wine is made, with a direct experience from the field to the wine cellar and of course taste the “mythical” white wine of Cinque Terre.
We are waiting for you!