梅迪西酒廠 Ca’De’ Medici

Ca’De’ Medici位於Emilia地區(Lambrusco的主要產區)的中心地帶，酒莊的歷史與Lambrusco的發展可說是同時的，由Medici家族世代傳承。Medici家族主要的宗旨為維持良好的品質、研發最好的生產技術、精選最佳品質的葡萄和最適宜Lambrusco生長的風土條件。

The "Ca' De’ Medici” winery dates back to 1911 when it was founded by Remigio Medici, at the age of 48 years old with his young sons.  At the beginning he owned an “osteria” in Reggio Emilia which also commercialized bulk wine.  The change from restaurant owner to winery operations was gradual over time when his children were old enough to contribute to the business.  At that time, Remigio sold the “osteria” and his land to acquire sufficient capital to develop a new winery.
   In those days the wine was sold almost exclusively in bulk and then Remigio began offering, next to bulk wine, bottled Lambrusco that could also be sold at a higher price. His idea to focus on the production and sale of bottled Lambrusco was premature, but in time proved to be right.  Initially his winery was not that sizeable, consumption habits did not require a packaged product and finally the costs of processing and bottling made the price too high for a successful mass distribution. However, Remigio, the founder, did not have the opportunity to develop the business, because after only four years he died suddenly, leaving the task to his children, of whom the oldest was Regolo, just 21years old.
   During the initial stages Remigio Medici winery, at least until the Second World War, in 1945, continued to be largely tied to the traditional trade of bulk wine limited to the province of Reggio Emilia and neighboring provinces.  After the war important changes occurred in trade and technical production, which, together with a radical change in eating habits, were the basis for Ca’ de Medici’s success. In keeping up with the times, the company stopped carrying out fermentation in the bottle and started to do it in a stainless steel vats.  This resulted in a more modern and amiable product which was appreciated even outside the typical area.
   The winery began creating a network of sales under the mark "Val d'Enza," first in the neighboring regions and then in the rest of Italy. The brothers Regolo and Ermete and then eventually their children developed the winery’s customer base.  The winery became an instant success.  It soon became necessary to build a new winery in nearby Villa Cade’ where Regolo ran the winery.
   Following the success of Lambrusco "Val d'Enza", the winery expanded its selections, offering in addition to several varieties of wine Lambrusco , Malvasia and wines from  Scandiano and Canossa hills.  In 1955, Regolo, who had been the patriarch of the family, died.  At that time it was easy to divide the company because there were already two separate wineries in Villa Gaida and the one in Villa Cade’, which were operated by two separate branches of the family.  Thus two companies were formed: Ermete along with his children gave rise to a new company bearing his name at Villa Gaida, while the children of Regolo continued Medici Remigio e Figli winery at the new winery in Villa Cade’.  The new winery Medici Remigio e Figli was formed by the four children and divided into four equal shares but the three boys operated the winery while the female Amneris was not involved.  Of the three brothers, the oldest brother Remigio took leadership, although each brother had their own area of responsibility where they enjoyed a large degree of latitude.  Remigio was responsible for sales, Arturo was responsible for buying and Renzo supervised the technical production.
   In 1967, after only seven years, Arturo died and the corporate structure changed again.  Arturo’s role in the company was assumed by his brother Renzo.  At that time Renzo increased his role in the company and in management.  In the '70s, because of the competitiveness and the decline of the Italian market, Renzo decided to begin to selling wine in foreign markets. The first customers were Italian immigrants that imported wine for their own use.
   Because Lambrusco is sweet, sparkling and has a low alcohol content, it became successful in foreign markets, particularly in the United States, Germany and Belgium. Currently the winery exports in over 20 countries and foreign sales comprise over 70% of the winery’s total sales.
   In 1984 they decided to change the name of the winery from its original name "Medici Remigio e Figli" to "Ca'de’ Medici” because it was shorter and more suited to commercialization.  In recent years the company has entered its fourth generation and is currently led by Renzo.  His son Regolo handles production, while his niece, Marica, (Arturo’s daughter) deals with sales.