Amaracmand. in Montefeltro, an organic, sulfite-free winery is born from a snowfall, crosses a historical border, and makes imperfection a choice.
There are moments when you are not simply starting something.
You are closing another possibility forever.
The winter of 2012 was one of those moments.
In Romagna and Montefeltro, snow fell as it hadn’t done for decades. In Villagrande di Montecopiolo, at an altitude of 1,000 meters, it exceeded four meters. A week isolated from the world. Roads disappeared, time stood still, silence reigned.
It is in these conditions that choices cease to be theoretical.
It is imperfection that creates style
Amaracmand is convinced of this.
There is a substantial difference between imperfection and defect: the former makes a wine unique, the latter is not acceptable.
We do not guarantee the same color, the same intensity, or the same result every year.
The characteristics of our wines depend on the climate, the harvest, and the season.
We do not guarantee the absence of sediment at the bottom of the bottle.
We prefer natural deposits to the use of chemicals to prevent them.
However, we do guarantee the absence of added sulfites and allergens.
We do not compromise on this.
Close your eyes, taste it.
If you imagine a better world, it’s because you believe that the earth is a gift.
In Sorrivoli, not far away, the snow also covered an old tavern. A place outside of time, inhabited by grandparents, card games, stories of war and youth. A human archive made up of oral memory, slowness, roots.
It was there that a fateful encounter took place: the one with Tiziana. Now the wife of Marco, it was then the unwitting beginning of a shared adventure.
Authenticity. Respect for nature. Care for people and the land. Beauty.
The adventure of Amaracmand, which began with Tiziana Matteucci and her husband Marco Vianello in 2012, is an act of love for their roots and their land. It was created in the early 1980s in Sorrivoli di Roncofreddo (Fc), and then immediately shared with cousin Damiano Vianello.
Their story tells that when spring melted that historic snowfall, news arrived that changed everything.
The La Centenara winery, in operation since 1985 and already organic, was in serious difficulty. The owner’s debts, aggravated by the damage caused by the winter, had prompted the banks to auction off everything, including his home.
The proposal was simple, and therefore radical: to buy the winery to allow the owner to save his home.
He accepted.
Thus, Amaracmand was born.
A name that did not come from a strategy, but from a voice.
It was the expression that his grandmother used to say every time her grandson left the house:
“Amaracmaaaand, fa e breeev”: Be good, please.
Today, that phrase has become a promise.
In the beginning, there were just over six hectares of vineyards and a cellar that looked more like a makeshift shelter than a place for winemaking. Together with his uncle and cousin, with dirty hands and a passion that was still unformed, he began to recover what he could: vineyards, minimal structures, the dignity of work.
Six years of real apprenticeship.
Then a loss: the death of his uncle.
And a decision that allowed no turning back: to continue, out of respect, out of memory, out of consistency.
Experience grew, as did the awareness that it was not enough to “make wine.” People capable of sharing a vision were needed. An oenologist and an agronomist arrived, chosen not for their résumés, but for their deep affinity.
Nothing ever happens by chance.
One day, on the way home, a sign: ‘For sale’.
Behind it, a forest of brambles. But also a clear intuition. Once reclaimed, that land could accommodate new vineyards and a new winery. The purchase was successful: another seven or eight hectares of uncontaminated land, ideal for natural winemaking in keeping with the original spirit.
The design of the new winery was entrusted to architect Fiorenzo Valbonesi. At the same time, oenologist Maurilio Chioccia and Prof. Paliotti from the University of Perugia joined the project. It was a team that knew it was about to go beyond the usual.
The winery was designed to not impose itself.
Invisible in the landscape, absorbed by the hillside, respectful of its lines. Inside, however, the technology is cutting-edge and responds to a single requirement: working without sulfites and without asking for indulgences.
Even the air is treated as a sensitive material. AEROCIDE purifiers, a technology patented by NASA, eliminate mold and bacteria without the use of chemicals. Because here, we don’t correct after the fact. Here, we prevent.
“We have to work like in an operating room,” said the winemaker at the first meeting.
“Worse,” was the reply, “we’re sulphite-free.”
“Then we’re in intensive care.”
This is not a metaphor. It is a protocol.
Absolute order, obsessive cleanliness, continuous control. All year round. Because a sulphite-free wine is either perfect or it is not.
Most of the energy is self-produced thanks to photovoltaic panels. Home automation allows remote control of wine-making equipment, temperatures, and ventilation systems, reducing consumption to the minimum necessary.
But Amaracmand’s sustainability does not stop at the walls of the winery.
The drainage ditches are cleaned regularly to prevent flooding. Rural roads are kept passable even when it is not mandatory. Grape stalks are reused to consolidate the soil and promote grass growth; pomace and lees are turned into compost. Rainwater is collected, and water from the winery is purified through phytoremediation and reused.
Wooded areas are maintained as living barriers against fires, instability, and plant diseases. Mowing alternates between soil protection and areas left to the spontaneous growth of plants useful for pollination: clover, St. John’s wort, horsetail, dandelion.
The vineyard is observed, measured, listened to. Weather stations, rain gauges, plant traps. Treatments are only carried out when really necessary. To protect the land, water, and beneficial insects. Ladybugs, dragonflies, balance.
And then there is the appellation.
IGT Rubicone.
A small river, but a huge border.
Here Julius Caesar uttered “Iacta alea est,” crossing a line of no return. Since then, “crossing the Rubicon” has meant making a choice. Exposing oneself. Changing eras.
Amaracmand chose this name because it accurately describes what it is.
A clean break with agriculture that consumes the future.
An irrevocable gesture towards a different way of producing, living, and working.
The reds: Perimea and Imperfetto.
The whites: Libunio and Madame Titì.
Wines that do not seek consensus.
Wines that do not soften character.
Wines that exist because someone, at some point, decided not to turn back.
Perhaps this is the true meaning of Amaracmand today.
Be good, yes.
But to the earth. And to those who will come after us.
