Montechiari is a family owned vineyard in Tuscany. Raasay Distillery’s relationship with vineyard owner Moreno and his family goes back to the beginning of our project when Alasdair visited Tuscany to develop our pot stills, which were made at the Frilli pot still designer in Tuscany. As part of building our relationship with the region, Alasdair (our co-founder) visited the Montechiari vineyard as he had heard they were producing excellent wines and was looking for ex wine casks to age our whiskies.
Alasdair particularly looked at the Montechiari Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc, as the rich, fruity notes of the wine had a positive impact on the oak, making the casks useful for maturation. Another major part of the wine casks is the quality of the barrel itself. These are French oak Barriques, and we felt that they were of excellent quality, particularly with ageing whisky in mind.
The Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc casks are used for 3 vintages of wine ageing, before we use them to age our whisky. It is very rare to try the liquid that has seasoned the cask before using it for whisky, so we are very proud to sell this wine in our distillery shop, our online shop as well as in our residents lounge for overnight guests staying with us.
If you are interested in getting a bottle of Raasay While We Wait, which is finished in Montechiari Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc Casks, please head over to our online shop.
Montechiari Vineyard, Tuscany and Super Tuscans
Montechiari is classed as a Super Tuscan vineyard. In 1978, the vineyard was planted with Chardonnay, Pinot Nero, Sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc and the traditional San Giovese Grosso.
Tuscany is a beautiful wine producing region in central Italy. In the 1970’s, there were several producers who looked at the wine making process, and the best grapes for the region. They used French grapes as well as Italian grapes, and more caring techniques to produce full bodied, high quality wines that really re-energised the Tuscan region. It became about crafting high quality wine. These wines became classified as Super Tuscans.
Today, Tuscany is one of the most internationally recognised wine regions for excellent wines, and Super Tuscan’s are some of the most expensive and sought-after wines in Italy and are frequently rated as some of the highest quality, in Italy and abroad.
Planted in small parcels across the 10-hectare vineyard. Montechiari use oak vats during fermentation and maturation. They are certified organic too.
We are proud to work with Moreno and his family to select the best casks for ageing our single malt whiskies.