|
 |
| Baron with the Ricasoli vineyards
and winery behind |
Barons
are Forever: Barone Francesco Ricasoli is a Baron
from Tuscany. You ask him about the hierarchy of the hereditary
titles and he would tell you politely but firmly that
it is not the level but the period when the title was
bestowed matters. His family has been passed on the title
of a Baron since 12 th century; he is 32nd in line. 'The
Count may be a higher title, but was given during
the fascist regime so has no meaning at all,' he brushes
aside.
He is also the CEO of Castello di Brolio, a wine estate
also referred popularly as Barone Ricasoli, the 12th
century estate located in Gaiole in Chianti, between
Florence and Siena.
Ricasoli, the Italian Lafite: He
gives same importance to his wine estate Castello di
Brolio which 'used to be Italian Lafitte.' It helped
that his great great grandfather Baron Bettino Ricasoli
was the 'Iron Baron' of the mid nineteenth century who
was not only the Prime Minister of the United Italy
twice but also helped formulate the basic Chianti Classico
wine laws. 'You will find many Via Ricasoli in Italy
for that reason and many people mistakenly think that
we are from Rome, though we are from Florence,' he adds.
The Italian Wine Guide 2006 published by the Indian
Wine Academy recognises the statesman, Baron Bettino
Ricasoli as 'one of the visionaries to whom Italian
wine owes its reputation… who belonged to the
group that unified Italy in 1860-61 under the leadership
of Camillo Cavour. Ricasoli was the man who put Chianti,
till then a harsh, short-lived wine on the world map
by substantially improving the harvesting and vinification
techniques,' write the authors.
Largest Chianti Classico Estate: Castello
di Brolio is a premier wine estates of Chianti Classico
DOCG appellation in Tuscany. The 7000 hAs of vineyards
make it an appellation as big as St. Emilion. The 250
hAs of vines make Ricasoli the largest estate in the
region, according to Francesco, with average size of
a Chianti Classico estate being 15 hAs.
To Hell and Back: The estate has been
always owned by the family and passed on from generation
to generation since 1141- except 20 painful years-which
he'd rather not talk about. His father Bettino Ricasoli
had to sell out the winery and the brand in seventies
due to 'the difficult period he was going through' to
Seagram's, then a Canadian company. This was a very
agonising period for Francesco and his family.
In the nineties, when they decided to get out of the
wine business from Europe, Seagram's sold it to a group
of English investors who in turn passed it on to Hardy's
of Australia. When an opportunity arose, 'I convinced
my father to buy the business back in 1993. We haven't
looked back since.'
Man with communication skills: Francesco
was a professional photographer in the field of
 |
| Please book us at the osteria
for lunch, says the Baron |
advertising when the estate was out of the family hands.
His one point programme on the takeover was to build
a unique organisation with a lot of emphasis on communications.
He understands the value of visitors to the winery.
'Our dedication to host the tourists and visitors and
the importance we give to communicating with them is
a part of philosophy. We want to give them a memorable
experience when they are here. That's why we have the
reception area, tasting rooms and even the bathrooms
very modern and contemporary.'
Quality, Quality, Quality: The quality
had taken a beating during the Seagram's kingdom, the
emphasis was on quantity. 'We changed all that. One
may be impressed by our size. But our motto is quality,
quality and only quality.' Francesco took the help of
Carlo Ferrini, the well known winemaker and consultant
who seems to be behind many success stories of the region.
Page
1 2 3
4
|
