In 1996, I started my venture with the dream of owning my own vineyard, whose grapes would produce the highest quality red wines. Full energy, I drove the caravan to Italy to look for a suitable piece of land. This project quickly crystallized into a search for the infamous needle in the haystack. The more I saw, the more I knew what I didn’t want. Least of all, a vineyard whose success would be based on industry or mass tourism.
I started to expand my search radius significantly. I exchanged the caravan for a plane, travelled through countries and continents… Yet intuitively, I was always drawn close to Rome. Here I secretly hoped to find THE PLACE I had long been searching for: a historic winery with a view overlooking the sea, nested in the most peaceful, unspoiled nature, with grapes that have the potential to write wine history.
Finally, a decisive clue from an old Italian professor ultimately pointed me to the goal. When he poured me a red wine which can only be grown on the Terra Nera “island” because of its high geological conditions, I knew at the first drop: I’ve arrived! I had at last found the taste experience for which I had spent over 5 years meticulously searching.
Another joyful moment was when I first set eyes on Terra Nera. These hilly, partially dense-wooded, one million square meters spread out beyond where my eyes could see. I gained a deep respect for the task that awaited me here.
In 2001, I purchased the first 48 hectares of Terra Nera land, on whose central hill an old farmhouse is perched. With a great amount of respect and understanding for the concerns of the local farmers, but also through sensitive negotiating skills, I eventually acquired the whole 100 hectares of Terra Nera “Island”.
I find this gift, Terra Nera, so precious that it has become a life-long project of the heart.
– Christian Sprenger
