Cantine Tommasone
OUR STORY
VITICULTURE IN ISCHIA
The vine, wine and man, a bond that has millennial origins on the island of Ischia, as evidenced by the discovery of the famous Nestor Cup in the necropolis of San Montano, in Lacco Ameno. An 8th century artefact of exceptional importance, on which is engraved a real hymn to the pleasures of wine and love: tangible sign of viticulture introduced by the Euboeans, the first Greek settlers arrived on the island of Ischia and baptized by them with the name of Pithecusa.
Io sono la bella coppa di Nestore, chi berrà da questa coppa subito lo prenderà il desiderio di Afrodite dalla bella corona.
TRADITION SINCE 1870
It moves from the small town of Lacco Ameno the past and the present of Tommasone Winery, since the end of 1700S: the remains of the ancient millstone, the old wine press and the barrique cellar dug in the green tuff, are the traces that accompany the family wine tradition for over 300 years, together with the family know-how passed on from father to son for five generations. Son of farmers, the great-grandfather Pietro started the winemaking tradition in 1870 that distinguishes the Monti family until now.
WINE FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION
After Pietro, follows his son Tommaso called "Tommasone" (hence the name of the winery), to get to our days with Antonio and his great passion for the restaurant business which led him to move to Cologne to start a successful restaurant. In Germany he met and married Birgit and they had their daughters, Lucia and Barbara, but Antonio never forgot the strong call for his land and the teachings of his father Tommaso.
1999: A NEW COURSE FOR TOMMASONE WINERY
In 1999, Antonio Monti undertakes the renovation of the old cellars and the replanting of the old family vineyards. From the past to the present and to the future of the family: after studying viticulture and enology in Germany, and after several internships and working experiences in Italy and abroad, his daughter Lucia becomes head of the company, in 2009, to continue the project started by her father.
THE MONTI SISTERS
In addition to wine making, with her sister Barbara, Lucia also launched the idea of combining wine with a cosmetic production based on certified organic grapes creating the brand Tommasone Cosmetics. Based on a serious scientific research and an eco-sustainable packaging, Tommasone Cosmetics enhance the many beneficial properties of grapes, a precious concentration of antioxidants, astringents and revitalizers.
LUCIA MONTI: THE ONLY WOMAN WINEMAKER IN ISCHIA
Together with her husband Giuseppe Andreoli, Lucia is the first "pink parenthesis" in the Ischia wine scene: reflective, a lover of the land and able to hear it, just as a woman can do. With her, the roots continue to be the force of Tommasone Winery: the family, the land and the hard work in the vineyards are the significant heritage she received. Even today, the winery still produces those wines the family has always wanted to make, improving day by day in offering the most valuable result of an innate passion: making a good wine.
WHO WE ARE
Our story starts in 1700 in Lacco Ameno
It is the great-grandfather Pietro who started the wine tradition of the Monti family in 1870, followed by his son Tommaso, called "Tommasone" for the wide range of lands he owned. His son Antonio moved to Germany where he opened a successful restaurant without forgetting the strong call for his island. In 1999, he proceeded to the renovation of the old cellars and the replanting of the family vineyards. Today the winery is managed by his daughter Lucia Monti, oenologist, and the only female wine producer on the island of Ischia.
OUR IDENTITY
Territorial character, identity and respect for nature
Tommasone vineyards cover an area of 16.50 hectares (16.5 acres), spread in 14 small properties ranging from the city of Lacco Ameno in the northwest, to Forio in the western part of the Island up to Sant'Angelo. The last one is the southernmost point of Ischia, and it is home of Tenuta Monte Zunta, one of our most valuable vineyards located at 450 meters asl. Tommasone wines are produced with native grapes of the island: Biancolella and Forastera, for white wines, and Per'e Palummo or Piedirosso, Guarnaccia and Aglianico for red wines.
