THE METHOD

The grapes are grown by skilled vignerons in Crecchio, renowned for its outstanding wines in a terroir nestling between the Adriatic Sea and Mount Majella. Under the eagle eye of winemaker Matteo Fortunato, weekly samples are taken from the various vineyards and analysed for pH, acidity and sugar levels. The results are used to help decide the best time to harvest, when the fruit is picked strictly by hand.
Must is extracted using tried-and-tested winemaking techniques, with a yield equivalent to about 60% of the weight of the pressed grapes.This juice is taken immediately to fermentation tanks running at controlled temperatures to preserve the sensory profile of the wine in the making.
When the wines are ready and mature, the Majgual team – Fausto Zazzara with his winemakers Giulio Vecchio and Matteo Fortunato – prepares cuvees for the various types of sparkling wine. At this stage, the wine is taken to Tocco da Casauria for bottling, a process known as tirage.
The bottles are moved to ancient caves dug into the rock and stored at a natural temperature of 12–16 °C, left for second fermentation, maturing on the lees for long periods (24–60 months), and checked at regular intervals.
The monitoring and painstaking manual processing of each bottle throughout the production cycle are the secret behind the unique range of sparkling wines labelled Majgual.