Ferrucci and Martignani: 60 Years Together

It’s certainly a great pleasure to talk about the Stefano Ferrucci winery in Castelbolognese and to associate it with Martignani sprayers. This family-run winery was founded in 1932 and ranks among the most important in the Romagna wine region. The passion and care for its 16 hectares of vineyards have been passed down through the generations, and since 2006, the founder’s granddaughters, Ilaria and Serena, have been running the business with the courage to forge their own path, as well as the enthusiasm and hard work needed to innovate.

The Ferrucci winery is wonderful. Housed in a Roman-era building—said to have once been a horse-changing stable—nestled in the hills of the Serra di Castelbolognese. Sixteen hectares of vineyards, at an elevation of 250 meters, neat and stately.

The harvest is strictly done by hand, and the grapes are placed in small crates for processing. Yes, just like in the old days. Because that’s what passion is all about: working with your hands.

Today, they produce some of Romagna’s most prestigious wines, such as the Centurione—a pure Sangiovese Superiore with a full-bodied structure, a very interesting blend of spices, and notes of cherries, plums, and sour cherries; or the Domus Caia—one of Romagna’s signature wines, made from select Sangiovese grapes that have undergone natural drying. It has a very dark red color and a velvety, elegant flavor reminiscent of cooked plums, cocoa, coffee, black cherries preserved in alcohol, and wilted roses.

Other wines they produce include the Mattinale (Trebbiano), the Chiaro della Serra (Chardonnay), and the Domus Aurea, which won an award at the 2017 Tastevin AIS in Rome, an award presented by the Italian Sommelier Association.

The excellent results— especially in terms of disease prevention—confirmed that this was the right choice, and my father, too, never abandoned this technology.

Ferrucci and Martignani

Francesco Ferrucci, grandfather of Ilaria and Serena, He began working with Martignani in 1959, the year he bought his first sprayer—which was also the first one sold by our company’s founder, Claudio Martignani, who speaks of him with great admiration in his book: “I sold my first sprayer to Francesco Ferrucci, a small-scale farmer who grows grapes and fruit and also works as a farmhand on a large farm. He bought it to apply treatments on his farm, but not wanting to take too many risks, he used it at the normal volume—following the dosage provided by his technicians—while applying only half the mixture. He was immediately enthusiastic about the technology and its many advantages. It was a good start for me, too—the best advertising comes from satisfied farmers.“, Martignani wrote.

Regarding this episode, Ferrucci’s granddaughter, Ilaria Ferrucci—now one of the winery’s owners—says,“In fact, we started working with your company in ’59, and we’ve been with you ever since.” “At first, it was my grandfather who made the purchase; he was a true pioneer and an innovator, and this drove him to be the first to try and use this technology, which was just emerging in the agricultural world at the time.” She then adds that,“the excellent results— especially in terms of disease protection—validated the choice, and my father, too, never abandoned this technology.”

The latest Martignani sprayer arrived at Cantina Ferrucci last year. “When we needed to replace our car, we never had any doubts”. Ilaria comes across as very determined when she says that “With Martignani technology, it is possible to control the product being dispensed with extreme precision; there is virtually no waste, and the distribution is perfect.”. He also explains that “by using copper to control downy mildew, we can achieve excellent protection with very little product (Bordeaux mixture at a dose of 1 kg/ha, up to a maximum of 1.5 kg/ha), and this is crucial not only for actual cost savings, but above all for reducing the amount of metallic copper released into the environment.”

The downy mildew of the grapevine is a disease caused by a fungal pathogen. It first affects the green parts of the plant, especially the shoots. In fact, the first signs of infection appear on the leaves, but the disease eventually spreads to the grape cluster as well. If the infection is severe, the cluster is completely damaged, appears withered, and is lost entirely. Today, it is one of the diseases that most concerns winegrowers. That is why it is so crucial to combat it.

The Advantages of Martignani, According to Ferrucci

Ilaria assures us that “what made us choose—and continues to make us choose—Martignani technology” is:

Greater precision and control over the quantities of product used
“Excellent” results in terms of vineyard health (“excellent coverage of the leaves or grape clusters, with no waste”)
The ability to use less product because it is applied precisely and selectively
Cost savings (“both the product and treatment time are optimized because, by concentrating the application, the tank needs to be refilled less often”)

We at Martignani are very proud of this partnership, which has lasted more than 60 years. Our customers’ loyalty is our greatest source of satisfaction.