Arnaldo Caprai

Arnaldo Caprai (d. 2026) was a successful Umbrian entrepreneur in the textile sector. In 1971 he purchased forty-two hectares in Montefalco, including four already planted with vines on the Val di Maggio estate, to run a farm dedicated to wine production, and he gradually annexed adjacent land to develop the native Sagrantino grape. In the 1970s most Sagrantino went into a dessert-style wine made from dried, or passito, grapes; Caprai and a handful of other local producers believed it could also make robust, ageable dry reds. In 1986 his son Marco Caprai arrived at the helm of the company, and after a short period of working together Arnaldo handed the winery to him. Sagrantino di Montefalco achieved DOCG status in 1992, when its vineyards totalled only 66 hectares, and the appellation was renamed Montefalco Sagrantino in 2009. A new winery was completed in 1997. The winery marked its fiftieth year (1971-2021) with a 50 Anni edition, as it had done in 1996 with the 25 Anni 1993 and in 2011 with the 40 Anni 2007.

• 1971: Arnaldo Caprai buys 42 hectares in Montefalco, four of them planted with vines
• 1986: Marco Caprai arrives at the helm
• 1992: Sagrantino di Montefalco DOCG established; renamed Montefalco Sagrantino in 2009
• 1997: new winery completed
• 2021: fifty years (1971-2021) marked with a 50 Anni limited edition

Marco Caprai joined his father at the winery in 1986 and took it over after a short period of working together. He worked with the University of Milan to identify Sagrantino clones geared toward dry red production and implemented training systems to promote phenolic ripeness and manage the grape's tannins. He also initiated the Strada del Sagrantino wine route. The French consulting enologist Michel Rolland joined the winery in 2015 to help craft its Sagrantino wines, and the winery credits his guidance and consultancy for the winemaking method used for its premium wines.

• Arnaldo Caprai (d. 2026): founder, textile entrepreneur
• Marco Caprai: at the helm from 1986
• Michel Rolland: consulting enologist from 2015

The winery manages 160 hectares of vineyards spread across all four cardinal points of the Montefalco DOCG area. Sagrantino, Sangiovese, Merlot and Pinot Noir go into its red wines, while Grechetto, Chardonnay and Sauvignon are grown for its whites. Its Sagrantino Clonal Selection project (1990-1993) propagated mother vines found mainly in disused vineyards and private plots across the region. In 1994 the estate planted some of these clones in two experimental vineyards to compare traditional palmette training at 1,700 vines per hectare with other training methods at densities up to 8,000 vines per hectare, and found that Sagrantino produces the best grapes at high to very high density using spur cordon or Guyot training. Three of the clones developed by the research, Collepiano, 25 Anni and Cobra, became commercially available. The 25 Anni comes from spurred cordon vines planted at 6,000 to 8,000 plants per hectare, yielding 50 quintals per hectare.

• 160 hectares of vineyards across the Montefalco DOCG area
• Reds from Sagrantino, Sangiovese, Merlot and Pinot Noir; whites from Grechetto, Chardonnay and Sauvignon
• Sagrantino Clonal Selection project, 1990-1993; experimental vineyards planted in 1994
• Commercial Sagrantino clones from the research: Collepiano, 25 Anni and Cobra

The range spans Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG, Montefalco Rosso, Montefalco Bianco and Montefalco Grechetto DOC, Colli Martani Grechetto DOC, Trebbiano Spoletino DOC, Colli del Trasimeno Rosato DOC, Umbria IGT wines and classic-method sparkling wines. The Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG wines are 50 Anni, Spinning Beauty, 25 Anni, Valdimaggio, Dante, Collepiano and Sagrantino Passito. 25 Anni, 100% Sagrantino first produced with the 1993 vintage to celebrate the winery's 25th anniversary, is refined for 24 months in French oak barrels and at least 8 months in bottle. Collepiano, first produced in 1979, spends 22 months in French oak barrels; Valdimaggio was first produced in 2012. Spinning Beauty is produced from a single Sagrantino clone and released a full 10 years after the vintage, after eight years in barriques. The 50 Anni, first produced with the 2016 vintage, came from the Monte della Torre vineyard. Montefalco Rosso, first produced in 1975, follows the appellation's rule of 60 to 80% Sangiovese and 10 to 25% Sagrantino and spends 12 months in French oak barrels. Grecante, 100% Grechetto under the Colli Martani DOC, was first produced in 1989. The Sagrantino Passito, first produced in 1975, is a sweet Sagrantino.

• Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG: 50 Anni, Spinning Beauty, 25 Anni, Valdimaggio, Dante, Collepiano, Sagrantino Passito
• Montefalco Rosso DOC: Montefalco Rosso, Vigna Flaminia Maremmana; Montefalco Rosso Riserva DOC: Montefalco Riserva
• Whites include Grecante (Colli Martani Grechetto DOC), Le Molacce (Trebbiano Spoletino DOC) and Cuvée Secrète (Umbria Bianco IGT)
• Puntabella (Colli del Trasimeno Rosato DOC) and two classic-method Brut sparkling wines

The premium wines are made by the Vinification Intégrale method, adopted under Michel Rolland's guidance: after a meticulous selection, the best grapes of each vintage are placed directly into barriques, which are rotated daily to extract aromas and tannins. Speaking to Wine Spectator in 2022, Marco Caprai summed up the approach: "Michel says 'infusion' rather than 'extraction'." Barrique ageing in French oak lasts at least 22 months for the Sagrantino wines and 6 months for the Umbria Bianco IGT Cuvée Secrète, and some wines are closed with Stelvin screw caps. The winery's own account of the 50 Anni credits whole-grape vinification in barrique with rounder wines of greater volume and complexity, accentuated aromatic precision and better integrated oak.

• Vinification Intégrale: whole selected grapes fermented in barriques rotated daily
• At least 22 months in French oak barriques for the Sagrantino wines
• Stelvin screw caps on some wines

Caprai leads the Associazione Grandi Cru di Montefalco, a group of seven local wineries established by notarial deed on 14 February 2008, which developed Montefalco 2015: the New Green Revolution, a sustainability protocol for wine production certified at territorial level, with scientific supervision by the University of Milan. Since 2013 the Caprai4Love project has used sales of limited-edition wines to fund the restoration of works of art at the San Francesco Museum in Montefalco.

• Associazione Grandi Cru di Montefalco: established 14 February 2008, led by the Caprai winery
• Montefalco 2015: the New Green Revolution, under the scientific supervision of the University of Milan
• Caprai4Love, since 2013: limited-edition wines fund art restoration at the San Francesco Museum

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.arnaldocaprai.it/en/, https://www.arnaldocaprai.it/en/history/, https://www.arnaldocaprai.it/en/winery/, https://www.arnaldocaprai.it/en/wine/, https://www.arnaldocaprai.it/en/wine/25-anni/, https://www.arnaldocaprai.it/en/wine/montefalco-rosso/, https://www.arnaldocaprai.it/en/wine/grecant/, https://www.arnaldocaprai.it/en/collaborations/, https://www.arnaldocaprai.it/en/collaborations/fifty-years/, https://www.arnaldocaprai.it/en/collaborations/caprai4love/, https://www.arnaldocaprai.it/en/wine/collepiano/, https://www.arnaldocaprai.it/en/wine/valdimage/, https://www.arnaldocaprai.it/en/wine/50-years/, https://www.arnaldocaprai.it/en/wine/sagrantino-passito/, https://www.arnaldocaprai.it/en/news/the-new-green-revolution/. Secondary sources: Wine Spectator (obituary of Arnaldo Caprai, 7 January 2026; Robert Camuto, 6 July 2022) and Decanter (Susan Hulme MW, last updated 24 January 2019; James Button, published 30 July 2021; Umbria guide, last updated 2 October 2025): https://www.winespectator.com/articles/arnaldo-caprai-obituary, https://www.winespectator.com/articles/robert-camuto-savoring-sagrantino-in-montefalco, https://www.decanter.com/premium/montefalco-sagrantino-406638/, https://www.decanter.com/premium/arnaldo-caprai-championing-top-quality-sagrantino-460895/, https://www.decanter.com/wine/umbria-a-wine-lovers-guide-525374/. Last verified 2026-10-14. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.