Gismondi

Antonio Gismondi

Cerreto Sannita, Benevento, Campania, Italy

Anabel and Antonio Gismondi are established in the hills of Cerreto Sannita, a small village in Benevento, Northeast of Naples. Here Antonio’s family has been working the land for generations, mostly tending to vines, growing local grape varieties as Malvasia di Candia, Falanghina, Sangiovese and Freisa. Antonio’s parents used to sell most of the grapes to the local cooperative, only keeping a small amount to make their own wines for the family. Antonio himself used to run a restaurant in the Catalonian village of Bonastre. During this time he befriended Massimo Machiori and Antonella Gerosa, well known from Partida Creus. While visiting the Gismondi family, they enjoyed the family wines so much that they convinced them to start selling their wines. In 2019 Antonio took over ands started to make his own wines under the name Gismondi.

The vineyards lie at an altitude of 350 to 380 meters and about 60 kilometers from the Tyrrhenian coast. The circumstances create an unique microclimate, cooler and with enough yearly rain, different to the surroundings. The maritime influences bring humid easterly winds in the harvest season while the vineyards are covered in fog during the cooler months. These conditions allow for the wines to display more delicacy and finesse than one might expect from this part of Italy. The two hectares are situated on hilly terrain with clayey and stoney soils. All the work in the vineyards is done organically, without any chemicals. Antonio follows his own common sense as well as the recipes of his ancestors.

In the cellar the approach is also natural. Antonio ages his wines in stainless steel tanks, uses no additives or sulphites and fermentations occur spontaneously with indigenous yeasts. Because of the climate and Antonio’s approach the wines are fresh and delicate. The nearby sea and the soil give salinity and minerality. All wines are light with floral aromas and with notes of citrus, underlying saline and mineral characteristics. The labels show the silhouettes of the surrounding hills. Uplifting wines!