Fontanavecchia

At Torrecuso, a medieval village in the province of Benevento, vines and olive trees climb the slopes of Mount Taburno—a massif locals call the “Dormiente del Sannio”, because from the right angle it looks like a sleeping woman laid across the horizon.
This is where Fontanavecchia lives: a family estate shaped by slow rhythms, cellar air, and the kind of patience that only makes sense when a craft is passed down through generations.

Their historic cellars were built by the founder of the Rillo family beginning in the 19th century, later restored and expanded—described on their own site as a “temple” dedicated to wine and the work behind it.
Today the estate spans 18 hectares in the Fontanavecchia district of Torrecuso, managed by Libero Rillo, with his father Orazio and his brother Giuseppe alongside him.

Location

To tell Fontanavecchia’s origin, the winery ties the story to Torrecuso itself: an old register from the Bourbon era is cited as noting that more than 160 years ago the Rillo family was already producing the area’s “excellent wine,” and that link between family and place never breaks in the way they talk about what they do.

Everything here points back to the Samnium (Sannio) wine tradition—especially Falanghina del Sannio and Aglianico del Taburno—two names the estate frames as revived and elevated through steady family effort over decades.

Winemaking & Philosophy

Fontanavecchia’s philosophy is simple and demanding: quality first, from vineyard care through harvest and bottling, with the goal of expressing each variety’s identity rather than smoothing it out.
The vineyard work is described as practical and soil-minded—starting with early-season decisions like choosing organic fertilizer intended to balance soil vitality and support healthy grape production.

That craft shows up most clearly in the range they highlight as their own “storytellers”: from bright, younger wines (Falanghina, Aglianico, plus grapes like Greco, Fiano, Piedirosso) to the deeper, long-lived reserves—labels like Grave Mora, Vigna Cataratte, Orazio, Libero, and Facetus—all aimed at a balance of elegance and structure, with the ability to stand the test of time.