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Diego’s winery: Erta di Radda.
Every year, Gambero Rosso, the most important Italian Wine guide, releases a list of the best Italian wines. Their rating system uses glasses, from 1 to 3, to indicate the quality and excellence of a wine. Receiving “3 Glasses” from Gambero Rosso is a prestigious recognition and stands for outstanding wine. Diego’s Chianti Classico 2019 was awarded with 3 Glasses.
I love learning the stories of people whose identity is intertwined with the place they were born.
My relationship with my own region has been conflicted. By the time I reached my twenties, Florence felt much too small, and I wanted to get out into the world so I moved to France and then the US. But all through my life, a dirt road through a Tuscan olive grove has always meant ‘home.’
I first met Diego many years ago, through my sister’s best friend, Elisa. Elisa is a winemaker and an enologist who also happens to be Diego’s wife.
When Diego was 24 and still a college student of agricultural sciences, he took out a huge mortgage to buy an old vineyard near Radda in Chianti. The property sits on top of a hill with a stunning panoramic view of hills and vineyards. It’s a magical place. The vineyard itself is on a steep slope, an ‘erta’ in Italian, and that’s where he got the name of his wine: Erta di Radda.
There is a beautiful old stone farmhouse that Diego’s father renovated. And for those of you who had listening to my previous podcast, there is of course, an ancient mulberry tree beside the house.
Diego doesn’t come from a family of winemakers. His father’s passion is vintage motorcycles, and his mother doesn’t even like wine. His passion is all his own.
He does everything himself in the vineyard, from pruning the vines to harvesting the grapes, to every step of the winemaking, to sales and marketing.
And he’s achieved tremendous success. His Chianti Classico 2019 was recently given one of the most prestigious awards, the “Gambero Rosso 3 Glasses.”
Here’s my interview with Diego.
What drew you to the world of wine?
I was born in Radda in Chianti, a tiny rural village surrounded by vineyards. So I’ve been exposed to the world of wine since I was a child.
I studied at the agricultural institute starting when I was 14, so I have a technical training in agriculture. Starting when I was 17, I spent the summers working in the vineyards of local companies, both because I loved it and to make some money.
I’ve always loved being outdoors and have always loved growing things.
2. What part of the wine-making process do you look forward to every year?
The grape harvest is the most demanding time, but it’s also full of excitement.
It’s the time of the year when the commitment and perseverance of the months before comes to fruition.
My favorite part of the harvest is when the grapes arrive safely in the cellar and the fermentation begins. I love the smell of the grape must in the crisp October air!
3. What do you hope your visitors will learn when they visit your winery and your vineyards?
I love sharing the place and its traditions, which is why my wines are made only with local grape varieties.
I want people to taste authentic local wine, produced in a way that’s sustainable for the land and for the people who live here.
4. What is unique and special about your part of the Chianti?
A landscape where woods, vineyards, and olive groves exist in harmony.
5. What’s your favorite thing to do in the Chianti when you aren’t working at your winery?
Hiking in the local woods with my family.
6.What were the best and worst moments in your journey as a winemaker?
The worst moments were when I realized just how powerless human beings are in the face of nature. For example, we’re suffering from more and more hail storms, especially during the summer. There’s absolutely nothing I can do — in a few minutes I can lose everything I’ve worked on for months.
But there are great times too, luckily! It’s immensely satisfying when people taste my wine, smile, and really enjoy it. It cheers me up when I get special recognition from the wine industry press, or when a restaurant I love adds my wine to their menu. This is less poetic, but I love it when the cellar empties before I start bottling new wine!
See you next week.
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