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Castiglion del Bosco: Centuries of tradition

One of the oldest estates in Tuscany, located on the Via Francigena pilgrim route to Rome, Castiglion del Bosco has an incredibly rich history. Today the team at Castiglion del Bosco consider themselves to be stewards for this historic treasure, preserving and continuing its legacy.

While winemaking at Castiglion del Bosco has been a craft for centuries, until fairly recently the vineyards were cultivated solely for personal consumption by each family living on the Estate. Today, Castiglion del Bosco wines are consistently recognized for their excellence.

As one of the founding members of the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino, the organization that regulates and controls the quality of Brunello production, Castiglion del Bosco introduced the world to its exemplary vintages through the emergence of a commercial operation in the late 1950s. In 2004, acclaimed international Wine Master Nicolo D’Afflitto took command of winemaking at Castiglion del Bosco, along with locally trained enologist Cecilia Leoneschi. Under their careful direction, the Estate is yielding more modern Brunellos that are attracting critical acclaim.

The fundamental goal of winemaking at Castiglion del Bosco is to remain faithful to the land and the characteristics of the grapes. Everyone at Castiglion del Bosco has the unique opportunity to help contribute to this goal and participate in all aspects of the vinification process, from picking and sorting to bottling and tasting.

Click here to find out more about the wines of Castiglion del Bosco in British Columbia or click here for Alberta

Fontodi, Tuscany, Italy

Fontodi is a certified organic estate which extends over 130 hectares, of which about 70 are planted with vines. The type of agriculture practiced is inspired and guided by the principles of respect of nature and sustainability. The organic methods of agriculture on the estate go beyond simply not spraying chemicals and include being as sustainable as possible and reducing the need for external inputs at all levels of production.

Giovanni Manetti, the winery principal, is president and founding member of the “Unione Viticoltori di Panzano”, which is a free and independent group of 20 wineries working towards advancement in sustainable practices and certifications by introducing organic as a whole concept and not just for every single winery, but as a larger territory.
The group was also instrumental to the birth of SPEVIS, The Experimental Station for Sustainable Viticulture (Stazione Sperimentale per la Viticoltura Sostenibile), a private institution that studies the most effective ecological solutions in viticulture. The project was created in cooperation with wine producers and scientific consultation with prestigious research institutes.
The station coordinates the various vineyards and their actions of defense in the vineyards, helps those wineries that want to convert to organic methods and works closely with the academic world on many researches and experiments that are helpful and aid to increase knowledge about better and more efficient methods and organic farming in viticulture. This project has as objective to make Panzano into the first Italian organic zone.