Fattoria I Veroni
When it comes to Italian wine regions, there really is nowhere quite like Tuscany. A landscape coloured in leaf green and terracotta, dotted with ancient ruins, proud wineries and pretty villages, it features a gorgeous array of microclimates, mineral-rich soils and gently sloping hillsides that make it ideal for the production of a stunning range of wines.
This was first recognised long before the Romans cultivated vines there, and wine has so long been a key part of Tuscany's identity, it comes as no surprise that even today in the 21st century, it remains a cornerstone of Old World viticulture. That's not to say that Tuscan wineries are slaves to tradition, though.
Fattoria I Veroni is perhaps the quintessential example of a contemporary Chianti business; based in an estate which can trace its history back through a single family to the Middle Ages, the winery saw considerable changes made to it in the 1990s when it was taken over by Lorenzo Mariani. A talented vintner with an optimistic outlook, Lorenzo had great plans for Fattoria I Veroni, and set about making his mark alongside oenologist Emilio Monechi by sourcing new vines, and completely replanting the estate.
Lower yields were the first main change to be made. Mariani and Monechi wanted the wines of Fattoria I Veroni to be the ultimate expression of their land, and their decision paid off as the first vintages began to be bottled, receiving plenty of praise in the process. The next step was a total overhaul of the methods and technology used in Fattoria I Veroni – after all, there's no need to make traditional wines with obsolete and ineffective equipment – and this freed the vintners to begin experimenting with other grape varietals, and other types of wine (not least their highly popular Vin Santo dessert wines).
All in all, Fattoria I Veroni is a winery which celebrates the incredible history, traditions and high standards of Tuscany, while resolutely facing forwards into the future, with quality and excellence at the helm.
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