MAPPING TUSCANY

The most intriguing thing about organic wineries apart of production standards and grape varieties, are the people behind them and the reasons why they chose to go green in Tuscany.  Milan born Antonella Manuli runs the La Maliosa winery in Southern Tuscany according to organic and biodynamic principles - not the first thing you'd expect from somebody who left Italy to study for a degree in business administration in the US.  Antonella was managing director and later president of the Terme di Saturnia Resort until she decided to dedicate herself entirely to her Tuscan vineyard, her two kids and the winning of the odd golf tournament here and there.  Other people are into banking, sailing or shoemaking. Which winds blew you on top of a Tuscan hill?   I come from the business world, but I made a personal and ideological choice to create La Maliosa in a land that I love. Why your particular DOC area? Any interesting facts and figures about your Tuscan wine ma...

No better way to understand a wine you love, than by meeting the winemaker behind it. This interview with Giovan Battista Basile from the Basile winery in Southern Tuscany's Montecucco DOCG  is the start of a series of articles, which will map out some of the best organic wineries in Tuscany. Other people are into banking, sailing or shoemaking. Which winds blew you on top of a Tuscan hill?   My sister. She owns a beautiful property ( Le Pianore ) in a valley surrounded by untouched nature at the foot of Mount Amiata. I lived with her for four years until my brother Domenico and I decided to buy a piece of land that had been abandoned for years. We immediately decided to plant vineyards so as to produce our own wine. Why Montecucco DOCG? Any interesting facts and figures about your Tuscan wine making region? Montecucco is a fascinating area. When we started out, the DOC had just been born a year before. It was an interesting challenge – new producers in a new DO...