The Brolio Castle in the heart of Chianti Classico between the communes of Gaiole in Chianti and Castelnuovo Berardenga is an imposing castle dating back to the middle ages. It houses the oldest winery in Italy, Barone Ricasoli and the second oldest in the world. Although I had already visited the castle some years back, the children on a r...
The family tree, reproduced in a print from 1584, is also one of the first images we have of Chianti. After centuries defending the lands and the signorial feuds, the Ricasolis dedicated themselves to the development of agriculture and vineyards. Already in the 1600s documents report the first exports to Amsterdam and England, whereas at the start of the 1900s Brolio wines were known and exported all over the world: China, Saudi Arabia, South ...
In the middle of the 1990s, Barone Ricasoli started a huge project to renew the vineyards in its Chianti Classico land, amounting to 245 hectares. They were old vineyards (all planted at the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s), ripped apart by Esca, with low densities per hectare and containing all the varieties belonging to Chianti Classico, but distributed randomly.
So an excellent opportunity arose to renew and improve ...
The cellars of Barone Ricasoli are at the foot of Brolio Castle, separated from the main body of the winery, and used exclusively for vinification purposes. The modernisation of the old cellars in Brolio was done by carefully restoring the aesthetic value and function of the original nineteenth century parts of the building, while organising modern and technologically avant-garde spaces at the same time.
The grapes are taken to the vat...
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