History

Family Owned

Our family established Castelli Estate in 2007, eager to celebrate the winemaking ethos of Germino Castelli, our father and grandfather. 

Roughly halfway between Rome and Naples lies the village of San Giorgio a Liri. Framed by the gentle green Aurunci mountain range and the meandering Liri River, San Giorgio’s residents include our uncle Gregorio Castelli.

Gregorio continues the winemaking techniques taught by our grandfather, Germino. When Gregorio’s older brother Sam emigrated to Western Australia, he focused on establishing the Castelli name in his new home country. Sam developed an ASX listed engineering firm and built the Castelli Group – a diverse group of companies with interests across renewable energy, property development and wine. 

In 2004, Sam and his son Adam discovered the parcel of land that would see the Castelli family’s love of making premium wine continue in Australia. Sam has always loved the landscape around Denmark. With hillsides rolling into valleys dotted with eucalypts, and the slight tang of salt from the Southern Ocean on the breeze, the 120-acre estate was the perfect site for the Castelli family to spread their roots.

Our Heritage

The Castelli name is rich with Italian heritage, beginning back in the quaint country village of San Giorgio a Liri, in Italy’s Lazio region – the birthplace of the Castelli family.

Predominantly a farming village, Sam grew up in a time and place where everything was grown off the land, and food and wine were local, handmade and bursting with flavour and tradition. In Italy, wines are made to share and enjoy. In Italy, we savour a glass with every meal and bring a bottle to every occasion. 

Whether you are visiting our Urban Cellar Door in Perth, or taking in the sights and tastes of the idyllic Castelli Estate winery on the slopes of Mt Shadforth in Denmark, we invite you to share and enjoy our range of handcrafted, award-winning wines.

Where It All Began

Putting his farming knowledge to use, Sam planted a small vineyard in his hometown and began making wine for their household in the traditional way; by hand from start to finish where the method of maceration is ‘grape-stomping’ – by foot. All local grape growers make their own wine for their household, and once a year in San Giorgio a Liri, there is a festival where locals buy a glass, hang it around their necks and spend the day visiting all the other growers to taste their homemade wines. With this as the backdrop to his early years, you could say that wine was in his blood.

The Castelli Estate today

While the Castelli family have come a long way from those humble beginnings, you’ll often find them back in Italy, crushing grapes in true Italian style and sharing wine around the table with friends and family. Our flagship wine is proudly named after the Liri river that runs through San Giorgio, which used to irrigate the surrounding land and local vineyards – including the Castelli vineyard that is still there today. 

Castelli Estate is the best of both worlds, the innovation and rich produce of Australia made with the Italian ethos of quality and balance – created to share and enjoy.