Storia
1920: natural refermentation in bottle
Francesco Bellei & C. was founded in 1920. Francesco Bellei and his son Bruno began producing Lambrusco through natural refermentation in the bottle, establishing the connection between the family name and bottle-fermented sparkling wine.
1928–1987: the Cavicchioli family and Metodo Classico
The Cavicchioli family began producing Lambrusco in 1928. Although it had not yet assumed management of Francesco Bellei & C., the family was pursuing its own relationship with the local wine tradition. In 1979, Bellei introduced a new approach to sparkling-wine production by applying Metodo Classico to local grape varieties. The Cavicchioli family completed its own union of local grapes and Metodo Classico in 1987, anticipating the convergence of the two histories.
1998–2003: Ancestral Method research and a change of management
Research conducted from 1998 through 2002 culminated in the refinement of the Ancestral Method. The five-year project was conceived as a meeting point between historical bottle refermentation and a forward-looking interpretation of the technique.
After Beppe Bellei's death, the Cavicchioli family took over management of the winery in 2003. The family inherited the Bellei legacy and continued the business as a shared family project centred on sparkling wine.
2009: Ancestrale Pignoletto
Following the creation of DOC Pignoletto Modena, Ancestrale Pignoletto debuted in 2009 as a Modenese interpretation of Grechetto Gentile grapes.
2013: Puro
Puro was created in 2013 from the encounter between Francesco Bellei's sparkling-wine tradition and the potential of Lambrusco di Sorbara.
2017: terracotta amphorae
Experimentation with fermenting wine in terracotta amphorae began in 2017. The project was intended to test the versatility of the grapes through a vessel distinct from the winery's established bottle-fermentation practices.
2019: Spergola
In 2019 the winery introduced a contemporary interpretation of Spergola, presented as a historic Emilian variety and vinified as a varietal Metodo Classico sparkling wine.
The continuing project
The Cavicchioli family continues the Bellei inheritance as a family undertaking. Metodo Classico remains the central production language, while the Ancestral Method preserves the older Modenese tradition of refermentation in bottle without disgorgement.
Terroir
The principal production area lies between the Secchia and Panaro rivers, within the municipalities of Bomporto and San Prospero in the province of Modena. This area is associated with the winery's Pinot Nero, Chardonnay, Lambrusco di Sorbara and Pignoletto-based production.
A second production area is located in the Colli di Scandiano, in the province of Reggio Emilia, and is associated with the Spergola project. Together, the two areas connect the range to both Modenese lands and the broader Emilian wine tradition.
Vinificazione
Metodo Classico is the winery's principal production language and a practice that is continually refined while being passed forward. It is applied both to international grapes and to local Emilian varieties. The approach is based on patient bottle evolution, allowing the wine to develop complexity slowly over time.
The winery's earliest production began with Francesco and Bruno Bellei making Lambrusco through natural refermentation in the bottle. In 1979, Bellei extended Metodo Classico to local grapes. The Cavicchioli family independently brought local grapes and Metodo Classico together in 1987 and continued this direction after taking over management in 2003.
Five years of research between 1998 and 2002 refined the Ancestral Method. This technique revisits the traditional Modenese practice of refermentation in bottle and does not include disgorgement. It is conceived as a natural expression of the grapes, territory, time and seasonal rhythms.
Experimentation expanded in 2017 to fermentation in terracotta amphorae, undertaken to examine the versatility of the grapes in a different vessel.
Filosofia
Francesco Bellei presents time and grapes as the essential elements of its work. Metodo Classico is treated not merely as a technique but as the house's expressive language: a process intended to respect the fruit and territory while allowing nature and slow bottle evolution to shape the result.
Tradition provides the foundation, while innovation is regarded as necessary for the future. The objective is to preserve the identity inherited from the Bellei family while continually refining established methods, researching older forms of refermentation and testing vessels such as terracotta amphorae.
The family describes production as shared work rooted in inherited practice and directed toward the highest possible quality. Its treatment of local varieties aims to demonstrate their suitability for bottle-fermented sparkling wine, while the Ancestral Method is framed as a return to the rhythms and natural character of the Modenese refermentation tradition.