Meet Our Wine Producers
Read what our producers have to say about their wines and vineyards. We will be visiting these producers on our Tours.
Casa alle Vacche
Casa alle Vacche is a family owned Estate located in Lucignano, nearby San Gimignano, in the beautiful hills of central Tuscany. The Estate has been owned by the Ciappi family since the end of 19th Century. Casa alle Vacche literally translates as “House to the cows”. In the past the family worked as farmers with great passion and respect for the soils. Then gradually, they started to plant the vineyards and to bottle their wines. Nowadays, they own 25 hectares of vineyards and 3 hectares of olive trees. Their production philosophy is strictly linked to the Tuscan tradition and to the region’s history. They work in a biological way to insure the best results from the soils and from the vines. The family Estate is on the top of a hill at 300 meters above sea level, with a south, southeastern exposure with hot summer days and cool nights.
Their production is focused on Vernaccia, a typical Tuscan white grape variety that is used to produce one of the oldest Italian white wines, the Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG. Casa alle Vacche has also committed to reviving some native red varietals (Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo and Colorino) and bottling them as 100% expressions of these grapes. History and typicity are very important to the Ciappi family.
Marzocco di Poppiano
Marzocco di Poppiano is a family-owned winery located in the beautiful area of the Chianti Colli Fiorentini wine region. The winery is on the top of the Poppiano hill near the old castle (property of the famous Guicciardini family since XII century) and is owned by Roberta Chini and her husband Maurizio Mazzantini. The property has been in Roberta’s family since 1870 but the grapes grown had been sold to other wineries until 2015 when they began to harvest the best vineyard plots for themselves and decided to follow a dream and put inside each bottle a bit of their soul and winemaking experience. They are fortunate because they can count on very old vines, some of them planted in the 50’s, that are growing in a wonderful soil consisting of sand, clay, shingle and the Tuscan “pietra serena”. Their philosophy is to create wines that smell and taste of Tuscany, with an emphasis strictly linked to the soul of the Poppiano hill. A great majority of the wines are produced from vines that are more than 60 years old.
Querce Bettina
Querce Bettina is a family owned and run farm on the southwest slopes of Montalcino at an altitude of around 440 meters above sea level. Husband and Wife team Roberto Moretti and Sandra Barenghi bought the 62 acre estate in 1990 and following years of research into the terroir, they planted 6.1 acres of Sangiovese in 1999. Their aim from the start was to create two exceptional wines; Rosso di Montalcino DOC and Brunello di Montalcino DOCG. This dream was realized in 2009 when the 2004 Querce Bettina wines were first released. They have subsequently developed additional wines releasing limited quantities of Brunello di Montalcino Riserva DOCG in exceptional years and an IGT Toscana Rosso.
Legend has it that the property on which the Querce Bettina wines are produced was inhabited by a fairy named Bettina. She was said to spin wool each day under an oak tree (querce in Italian) on the property. Passersby would see her and she would bless them with her woolen goods. Bettina is still blessing the wines produced by this wonderful estate.
We Will Also Enjoy Wines From These Producers
Antolini
Since 1992, the Antolini brothers, Pier Paolo and Stefano, have lived and worked in Valpolicella, the famous wine region of Veneto where Valpolicella and the famous Amarone is produced. The Antolini Winery has vineyards in Merano, St. Pietro in Cariano and Negrar, three of the most important areas of the Valpolicella Appellation.
Their philosophy is based on being passionate winegrowers that take care of the soils, the vines, and the grapes. They use a natural, old-world, approach to farming the grapes,
Fongaro
Fongaro is a family run winery located in Roncà. They are the leading sparkling wine producer in the Monti Lessini area. They only grow the Durella grape varietal that grows on a ancient volcanic hill. The production of sparkling wines head back to 1975, when at age 65, Guerrino Fongaro decided to risk everything on planting some hectares only of Durella. Still wine versions of Durella are not pleasant due to the incredible acidity of this varietal. Guerrino was the first to produce a sparkling Durella and was the pioneer of this fast-growing wine region.
They are one of the oldest organic wineries in Italy and have been certified since 1985. The winery is beautiful, with commanding views of the Monte Lessini area and Soave. This winery is the premier producer of Durella and they only produce high quality sparkling wines using the Metodo Classico method. Their standards are really high.
Cascina di Mela
Cascina di Mela (translated as Apple’s Farmhouse) is a family run winery. The winery is located in Montà d’Alba in the “modern” area of red wines nearby the communes of Barolo and Barbaresco. Montà is in the northern part of Alba Commune, and is separated from Barolo and Barbaresco by the Tanaro river. This area is mostly known for the production of a white grape variety, Arneis. The family started the wine business in 1960, under Mario and Maria Teresa (the parents of Davide and Daniele that are currently running the Winery). They put passion and great attention into the vineyards and respect for the grapes into the cellar.
Today, the Pelassa family produces an outstanding Barolo, a vibrant Langhe Rosso, and a bright Arneis and I am pleased to have Cascina di Mela in the Wines For Friends portfolio.
Fattoria Ambra
Fattoria Ambra is an historic winery in Carmignano, the smallest DOCG region in Tuscany and the second smallest in all of Italy. They started wine production in 1983. The company is owned by the Romei Rigoli family and has 24 hectares of vineyards. The principal owner is Giuseppe “Beppe” Rigoli, a funny and very smart agronomist and oenologist, that has more than 30 years of experience in making quality wines. His philosophy is based on making wines that are strictly linked to the vineyards and the different soils of his property. By doing this, he wants to express the true soul of the Carmignano wine area.
Carmignano is a beautiful place settled between Florence and Prato, protected by Mount Montalbiolo and blessed with a lot of sunlight during the day. Is an old and important area in the Tuscan wine region, mentioned (since 1716) by Cosimo III de’Medici in his “Bando Granducale” naming the region one of the four best areas for making high quality red wine.
