In 1971 Arnaldo Caprai, a successful textile entrepreneur, bought forty-five hectares in Montefalco to realise his dream of running a wine farm. Gradually, as the conviction matured to exploit the enormous potential of the native Sagrantino grape variety, the best adjacent land was annexed to the estate.
From 1988 the company's management passed into the hands of Marco Caprai, Arnaldo's son, who with great passion gave the decisive impulse for the affirmation of the estate's wines through a managerial type of management and by initiating collaboration with professionals in the sector and with research institutes, both in the agronomic and oenological fields. From '91 the company undergoes an enormous effort: acquisition of new vineyards, experimentation, technological modernisation. The results can already be seen in the short term: the best clones and forms of cultivation are identified, the most suitable fermentations, the woods for optimal ageing. The selection '93 of Sagrantino di Montefalco (celebrating the winery's 25th anniversary) places Marco firmly among the great Italian wine producers. In the last five editions, the Guida ai Vini d'Italia published by Gambero Rosso and Slow Food has awarded the Sagrantino 25 Years the prestigious award Three Glasses. This is in addition to other prestigious awards, including the super three stars of the Guida Veronelli and the Wine Oscar as Best Producer awarded by the Italian Sommeliers Association. From 1995 we are reaping the fruits of intensive work made up of major investments and research to offer the best of our products. The objective of today is the same as it was thirty years ago: the constant and meticulous work in favour of quality, the research and experimentation of new agronomic and oenological techniques, the dissemination of the culture and tradition of the territory of which the company is the interpreter.
Arnaldo Caprai - Winery of the Year - Gambero Rosso Slow Food 2006
Sagrantino di Montefalco '25 Anni' 2001 Best wine in Italy - (unified ranking of the main Italian guides)
Marco Caprai - Wine Oscar 2001- as Best Producer
Sagrantino di Montefalco '25 Anni'. Tre bicchieri Vini d'Italia editions 1997-1998-1999-2000-2001-2002-2003-2004- n.p. - 2006
Sagrantino di Montefalco '25 Anni'. - Five Bunches of the 2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - n.p - 2006 edition of the 'Duemilavini' Guide
International Award Vinitaly 1993
Arnaldo Caprai "Double Golden Medal' and 'Best in Nation' - 'Sfwine Competition 2006'.
1973 An application for recognition of the Montefalco DOC is submitted.
1979 DOC Montefalco for the Sagrantino Secco, Passito and Rosso di Montefalco typologies The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (now the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies) publishes the decree recognising the Denominazione di Origine Controllata for Montefalco in the Rosso and Sagrantino Secco and Passito versions. In the Rosso Di Montefalco type, in addition to the obligatory Sangiovese and Sagrantino, there are varieties such as Barbera, Montepulciano and Merlot, like the white Chianti model. The regulations lay down strict rules regarding the environmental conditions and cultivation of the vineyards, which give the grapes and wines their exclusive characteristics.
1982 Carnacina's Oscar della Cucina Italiana (Marco Tonino Da Angelo Ponte Santa Lucia).
1987 Cangrande Prize Verona Arnaldo Caprai is the well-deserving of the wine-growing and wins the Cangrande Award, a prestigious national award that every year, at Vinitaly, honours those in each Italian region who have succeeded in bringing prestige to their respective wine-growing realities.
1988 DOC Colli Martani On 21 December 1988, the decree recognising the 'Colli Martani' DOC for the Grechetto grape variety was signed. The decree defines the grape harvesting area, environmental conditions and yield per hectare. Grecante is born.
1990 The application to amend the Montefalco DOC specifications for the Rosso, Rosso Riserva and Bianco typologies and the application to change to DOCG for Sagrantino di Montefalco Secco and Passito with the respective new specifications is officially presented.
1992 DOCG for Sagrantino di Montefalco Sagrantino di Montefalco was awarded the DOCG by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (now the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies). Since 14 November 1992, the label 'Sagrantino di Montefalco' has been reserved for wine that meets the conditions and requirements of the production regulations. The recognition of the DOCG marked a decisive turning point in the national and international positioning of the Sagrantino grape variety.
1996 Sagrantino '25 Anni' gets the 'Tre bicchieri' - From then on, it will win every edition, with the exception of 2002, awarded to Collepiano. La Guide to the Wines of Italy by Gambero Rosso - Slow Food Editore awarded Arnaldo Caprai's Sagrantino '25 anni' the prestigious 'Tre Bicchieri' award for the first time, marking it out as one of the most interesting products in modern national wine history. The release of '25 anni' was so astonishing that Daniele Cernilli compared it to 'Rombo di Tuono'.
1999
2000 Sagrantino di Montefalco becomes VIP Marco Caprai's Sagrantino di Montefalco is one of the most brilliant exploits of recent years: appreciated by stars and celebrities, it received its definitive consecration after being chosen for the wedding reception between Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones.
2001
2002 Arnaldo Caprai is appointed Cavaliere del Lavoro for special merits in Agriculture. This is the highest public recognition in a country like ours, where agribusiness has much entrepreneurial potential yet to be expressed. 2004 For Bettane&Dessauve de La Revue du Vin de France Sagrantino di Montefalco is among the 100 wines that can compete with French wines The Revue du Vin de France (Rvf), the most widespread and authoritative French wine magazine, lists 19 Italian producers (including Caprai) among the 100 best winemakers in the world, selected in the 'Dossier vins du monde', alongside French vignerons and producers from other European countries and the New World.
2005
2004/2006 Arnaldo Caprai's Sagrantino di Montefalco conquers The Wine Advocate The Wine Advocate, the powerful wine criticism magazine directed by Robert Parker Jr, one of the few journalists in the sector capable of moving tastes and trends on the international market, awards 97 points out of 100 to Sagrantino di Montefalco '25 anni' 2000, consecrating it among the world's great wines.
2006
Arnaldo Caprai won two gold medals for its Sagrantino di Montefalco "Collepiano" DOCG 2003 and two gold medals for its Sagrantino di Montefalco "25 anni" DOCG 2003, unanimously rated with top marks by the judges of the "San Francisco Wine Competition 2006", the largest competition for wines from all over the world. The Caprai winery also received the special "Best of Nation" award as the best representative producer of its country.
This year, for the first time, the "Tre Bicchieri" labels "Collepiano" (100% Sagrantino di Montefalco) and "Rosso Outsider" (50% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon) also received "Tre Bicchieri" awards. In addition to the vocation, quality and high prestige achieved by the products, the company was recognised for the important path of research and experimentation undertaken, the use of innovative production techniques, and the innovativeness of its communication strategies.
2011 In the 2011 Guidebook classification, the winery's '25 anni' (Montefalco Sagrantino Docg 2007), 'Collepiano' (Montefalco Sagrantino Docg 2007), 'Montefalco Sagrantino Passito' (Docg 2007), and 'Outsider' (Igt Umbria Rosso 2006) won awards.
2012
Arnaldo Caprai with its Sagrantino '25 anni' 2007 wins the title of 'European Winery of the Year' from the prestigious American magazine Wine Enthusiastwhich each year presents its 'Wine Star Awards' to wineries and personalities considered to be at the top of the wine world.
"Montefalco 2015. The New Green Revolution', the project of the Associazione Grandi Cru di Montefalco involving a number of historic wineries in the area, led by Caprai, was awarded by Legambiente.
2013
The Caprai winery receives the 2013 'Ecofriendly' award, given to companies, projects and wineries that distinguish themselves in their environmental commitment.
The award, assigned to companies engaged in activities and projects that produce environmental benefits and have an innovative content, positive economic and employment effects, in recent years has been renewed in the identification of three categories: eco-design, agricultural activities of ecological quality and start-ups. Arnaldo Caprai was singled out among the nine companies that distinguished themselves in the field of agricultural activities.
2014
Never before at this edition of Vinitaly have the fair's participants made such massive use of new social media. Hundreds of 'selfies', tweets, Facebook posts, videos and shots on Instagram. And among producers, Arnaldo Caprai is the winery with the highest level of interaction with its fans on Twitter.
On the occasion of the presentation of the brand new Guide Vitae 2015AIS National President Antonello Maietta, the National Coordinator of the Guide Renato Paglia and the Editorial Director of the project Vitae Roberto Bellini awarded the Tastevin to the 25 companies, including Arnaldo Caprai, that have achieved excellence, represented in the guide by the '4 viti'. A trophy created by Maestro Davide Pagnotta, representing the Italian peninsula, was the award presented to the producers, who were called at the end of the press conference to collect their certificates.
