From the Condottiere castle to a quality brand of the South
The Castello Caldora in Ortona, Chieti province, is more than just a company headquarters — it is a piece of Abruzzese history. The building dates back to the 15th century and once belonged to the condottiere Giacomo Caldora, who shaped the region militarily between 1413 and 1439. The Fantini Group acquired the castle, renovated it extensively, and set up its winery there — a conscious act of rooting itself in the cultural heritage of the region. The group itself was founded in 1994 in Ortona by three partners: Filippo, Valentino, and Camillo, who soon became known in the industry as "the three dreamers" because they built one of the defining wine addresses in Southern Italy without their own vineyards and without significant starting capital. Caldora is now the Abruzzo brand of this group — the heart of the operation on site.
Partnership instead of ownership: the model behind the vineyards
Caldora Vini works according to a consistently partnership-based model: instead of managing its own land, the winery cooperates with a network of around 700 winegrower families who together cultivate over 1,500 hectares of vineyards around Ortona. From this pool, the best sites were selected according to location, clone, and vine age — around 200 hectares go through the in-house Progetto Qualità, which sets strict requirements for yield restriction and cultivation standards. Remuneration is not based on quantity, but on area — an incentive that puts quality before quantity.
The soils around Ortona alternate between marly-clayey hillside sites with sand and limestone components in the hills and alluvial gravel soils on the coast. The climate is Mediterranean: hot, dry summers, snowy winters, humid Adriatic breezes during the day, and cooling katabatic winds from the Apennines at night. This temperature amplitude is the decisive factor for aromatic ripeness while maintaining a fresh acid structure.
Autochthonous grape varieties, clear regional expression
The Caldora range is based on the classic grape varieties of the Abruzzo: Montepulciano d'Abruzzo and Cerasuolo for the red wines, Trebbiano d'Abruzzo and Pecorino for the white wines. The Trebbiano — as in our range — shows aromas of white peach, orange blossom, and citrus zest with lively acidity in this location. The Montepulciano brings the signature of the region: sour cherry, ripe plum, firm but accessible tannins. Alongside this, the Yume Tre Autoctoni stands for a different approach — a cuvée of autochthonous varieties that shows what the Abruzzo has to offer beyond the classic single varieties. Vinification takes place in a modern winery in Ortona that is technologically state-of-the-art without overwriting the regional character of the grapes. The goal is the language of the terroir — not that of the aging process.
