La Guardiense

La Guardiense is one of the most famous wineries in the Benevento area. The absolute excellence of this terroir of wine Campania, it is located in Guardia Sanframondi, in an area devoted to viticulture since the time of the Samnites and then the ancient Romans, who made it an important production area. The vine tradition has been kept alive over the centuries, and in the 1900s the extensive vineyard in the Province of Benevento was producing in large quantities. Grapes were often purchased by merchants in the Neapolitan area, who were able to extract low prices and thus make large profits. It was at that time that the first cooperative wineries began to spring up, created by small winegrowers who associated to increase their commercial power and to begin making wine in common, thus escaping the ruthless logic of the market.
The La Guardiense Agricultural Cooperative was born from this tradition and was founded by 28 farmers, 2 masters and 3 doctors, who decided to join forces aware of the value of the fruits of their labor. The Sannio territory occupies the northeastern area of Campania and is crossed by the Calore River. Its extension is bounded by the mountainous reliefs of the Taburno Massif to the south and the Matese Mountains to the north, which create an imposing frame, enclosing a hilly area that rises gently toward the mountain ranges. The climate is continental and always very breezy. Sunny days are followed by cool nights, which favor grape ripenings with very intense aromas. The soils are rather heterogeneous with an important percentage of clay, mixed with limestone, sands, sandstone and volcanic components.
Precisely in order to get to know better the characteristics and peculiarities of the different territories, La Guardiense has undertaken an accurate work of zoning, with the intention of improving the quality of the grapes and wines. The variability of the soils present in the Telesina Valley has been a stimulus to better understand the nature of the soils in each vineyard and to improve the interaction between plant, rootstock and subsoil. This patient and painstaking work has led to a deep understanding of the individual plots and a consistent improvement in the quality level of production. Today the winery's range of wines is divided into different collections and many labels, each with particular characteristics, authentically interpreting the Guardia Sanframondi area.