A Visit to Podere Le Ripi … Where Winemaking = Farming
Young Guns : Old Traditions
There’s something exciting happening in the storied vineyards of Montalcino.
Where legacy “chateaux” once dominated wine lovers’ consciousness, a new generation of artisanal wine producers has burst forward with hand-crafted wines that show why Brunello di Montalcino is one of the world’s most special wine appellations.
Nowhere is this more apparent than at one of the Avventura team’s closest collaborators -- the biodynamic, boutique winery Podere Le Ripi in southeastern Montalcino. At the helm is my good friend, Sebastian Nasello, Le Ripi’s thirty-something CEO/Winemaker, who together with his team of passionate collaborators is producing remarkable wines.
Le Ripi is a must-see destination for any respectable wine lover visiting Tuscany. Let me tell you why …
Some History
Legacy Tuscan wine producers helped bring modernization, marketing skills and investment to Montalcino. But they also ushered in an era of winery ownership strangely disconnected from the land and traditions that made Brunello di Montalcino great in the first place. Many heirs of Tuscany’s wine “aristocracy” began to prefer the boardroom to the vineyard. And successful industrialists snapped up DOCG-designated vineyard property, reinventing themselves as gentlemen wine producers/hobbyists -- Montalcino’s version of the Silicon Valley tech tycoon with a Napa Valley vineyard. Most of these newcomers had little or no personal winemaking knowledge and no historical connection to the land they’d acquired.
Enter Francesco Illy, Le Ripi’s charismatic owner. A descendant of the famous Illy Coffee family, Francesco – a nature photographer by profession and a studied admirer of beauty in all forms – first fell in love with the sweeping majesty of Montalcino’s vast landscape and only later decided that winemaking would be part of a new life on this land.
In line with his vision, Illy hired Nasello – a recipient of the prestigious Giulio Gambelli Award which is conferred annually upon a young winemaker whose work best exemplifies the winemaking philosophy of the late master taster -- to assemble a team dedicated not only to producing great wine, but to doing so in a way that honors this special terroir and its rich traditions.
The Winery, Its Philosophy and Montalcino’s Agricultural Past
“We welcome many guests here at Le Ripi”, explained Sebastian during a recent recent visit. “And almost all arrive with a pre-conception of the glamorous life of the Italian winemaker. It’s true that I love this work, and it’s true that from time-to-time I find myself attending wine tastings and dinners that convey that glamorous image. But winemaking is really about farming. To make great wine – truly great wine – you must get your hands dirty. You must become one with the land. You must be a farmer.”
Historically, Montalcino was a farming town. Local people worked the land growing crops, raising animals and tending olive groves to put food on their tables. Wine was a part of the equation, but did not play a dominant role in the local economy until much later. Where today we see vast expanses of “monoculture” vineyards --- dedicated solely to the production of wine grapes --- there once stood richly diverse farmland where food crops intermingled with vines, livestock and olive trees.
The Tuscan Garden Experience
With all of this in mind, Sebastian and his team – who have always placed importance on winery hospitality -- have created a new and unique wine tour experience for a limited number of visitors to Podere Le Ripi – the “Tuscan Garden Experience”. It’s their way of paying tribute to Montalcino’s farming heritage and fostering a better understanding of the estate’s winemaking philosophy.
I was at Le Ripi once again this past October to see first-hand what this new Garden Experience was all about.
“When you come to the garden experience,” Sebastian explained, “you don’t just take a stroll through the property. We put you to work – with your hands and with your mind. It’s an interactive experience with our team. We want you to feel what it’s like to farm this land and understand why farming is the key to great wine.”
Sebastian is not kidding about the interactive, immersive nature of the Tuscan Garden Experience. Visitors are outfitted with authentic farmer’s attire and have a chance to see, touch and smell their way through the estate’s 6-acre biodynamic farming preserve which includes areas dedicated to vegetables, fruits, livestock and game. The experience culminates with a guided walk through Le Ripi’s vineyards where the connection between the traditions of Tuscan farming and modern winemaking come into focus.
No visit would be complete without the chance to taste Le Ripi’s wines, and visitors have two choices upon completion of their farming chores: a guided sit-down Brunello wine tasting or a more elaborate option with lunch and paired wines. It’s a chance to taste the difference that this team’s passion, experience and farming practices bring to their final product.
To make these visits truly intimate and personalized (something we strongly believe in at Avventura …), the Le Ripi team strictly limits the size of Garden Experience groups. They also give preference to their best customers –- loyal Le Ripi collectors and repeat visitors --- for the limited spaces available.
Avventura will collaborate with the Le Ripi hospitality team to include Tuscan Garden Experience visits as part of certain Spring 2020 and Fall 2020 Avventura experiences. If you’d like to learn more, please feel free to reach out.
WINES PRODUCED AT PODERE LE RIPI:
Canna Torta (IGT Toscana Bianco)
Amore e Follia (IGT Toscana Rosso)
Cielo d’Ulisse (IGT Toscana Rosso)
Bonsai (IGT Toscana Rosso)
Sogni e Follia (Rosso di Montalcino DOC)
Lupi e Sirene (Brunello di Montalcino DOCG)
Lupi e Sirene Riserva (Brunello di Montalcino DOCG)
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For more information on Podere Le Ripi and its wines:
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John Bersani is Founder/CEO of Avventura Trips
www.avventuratrips.com
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john@avventuratrips.com