Falstaff: awards for Podere Il Castellaccio
Continue readingGo Wine – Cantine d’Italia 2026
Go Wine – Cantine d’Italia 2026
Wine tourism, or enotourism, is no longer just about standing at a tasting bar. In 2026, it has evolved into a multisensory lifestyle experience that combines luxury, sustainability, and deep cultural immersion.
Congratulations to Fattoria Fibbiano and Palazzone which earned respectively 1 and 2 Footprint(s) by Go Wine.
About Go Wine:
Cantine d’Italia 2026 (Go Wine’s guide) is the 2026 edition of the popular Italian wine tourism guide, featuring 911 wineries with 270 receiving “Excellence Footprints” for wine tourism, highlighting key Italian wine regions like Tuscany, Piedmont, and Veneto, and offering details on visits, wines, and local food/lodging, presented at events in late 2025 and continuing into 2026, serving as a guide for exploring Italy’s wine culture.
The recognitions of our associated producers:
Located in the heart of the Pisan Hills near Terricciola (Tuscany), Fattoria Fibbiano is a premier example of how modern wine tourism can honor ancient heritage. If you are looking for an authentic, family-run experience that avoids the “commercial” feel of larger estates, this is a top-tier choice for 2026.
In 2026, Palazzone near Orvieto (Umbria) remains a benchmark for “slow” wine tourism, emphasizing intellectual discovery over mass appeal. It’s an estate where the hospitality is inseparable from the archaeology of the land. The estate’s centerpiece is a magnificent 14th-century stone building originally commissioned by Cardinal Teodorico as a hostel for pilgrims traveling to Rome for the first Jubilee.
Kerin O’Keefe’s 2025 Top 100
Kerin O’Keefe’s 2025 Top 100: nice awards for Massolino, Paltrinieri and Patrizia Cencioni.
Their Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda, Lambrusco Radice and Brunello Ofelio are in the 2025 TOP 100 wines. Congratulations!
#14 of 2025: Massolino’s Barolo Riserva Vigna Rionda 2019 with 98 Points
#61 of 2025
Patrizia Cencioni’s Brunello di Montalcino Ofelio 2021 with 96 Points
Slow Wine: Cantina LaSelva
Slow Wine: Cantina LaSelva, TOP WINE BEST BUY – SLOW WINE 2026 seal to the Morellino di Scansano Riserva Colli dell’ Uccellina 2022.
Grapes: Sangiovese, Merlot
Production area: Magliano in Toscana
Grape harvest: manual, in crates
Vinification: the grapes are harvested when they achieve optimal ripeness and vinified separately in small stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature. When fermentation is completed, the Sangiovese is left in contact with the skins for another 10 days, while the Merlot is placed directly into new French oak barriques. At the end of maceration, the Sangiovese is put into French oak tonneuax for 12 months. During maturation the wines are racked twice and combined only shortly before bottling.
Flavour and aroma: ruby red. Fresh notes of red fruits and blackcurrant, finished with complex spice. The palate has a nice articulation from which emerges a lively fruitiness, pleasant tannins and balanced acidity. Good persistence.
Pairings: game, red meat, aged cheeses.
Cantina LaSelva
“Nothing taken away, nothing added”
This is the motto of Cantina LaSelva, founded in 1980 by Karl Egger.
Through his vision and work in developing LaSelva, Egger became one of the pioneers of organic farming in Europe. Karl Egger left his homeland, Munich, and moved to the south of Tuscany where he bought 7 hectares of land. Here he began to grow fruit and vegetables following the simple rules of nature: a choice that led him ten years later to give birth to the organic farming association, Naturland.
In 1984 LaSelva became the first Naturland-certified business beyond German borders.
In Maremma: Cantina LaSelva is located in a unique place, nestled in the south of Tuscany and surrounded by untamed nature. The varied landscape ranges from the woods of a regional park to medieval villages, and then on to the sea. These are places where you can discover ancient traditions and enjoy true beauty in every season. Maremma is also the birthplace of Tuscan viticulture, with its origins dating back to the Etruscans and their sophisticated civilisation.
The microclimate of the Maremma hills has always brought out the best qualities of Sangiovese grapes, which are used to make wines like Morellino di Scansano – known and loved throughout the world. The combination of minerals, lime, marl and limestone – combined with the coastal influence of the Tyrrhenian Sea – form the basis for opulent, soft red wines and for savoury white wines with a strong personality.
Strictly Organic: Even in the winery, they process the grapes without using unnecessary additives. They apply organic concepts and adopt the most advanced technologies in temperature control, fermentation, pumping over and delicate punching down.
More info?
Take a look at their website
Vitae 2025: awards for Podere il Castellaccio
Vtae 2025: awards for Podere Il Castellaccio: Associazione Italiana Sommelier awarded the Rosso Toscana Valente 2020 with 4 Viti.
Rosso Toscana Valente 2020 IGT
Grapes: 70% Sangiovese 30% mix of foglia tonda & pugnitello.
Training System: Spurred cordon.
Harvest: Late September/early October.
Vinification: Fermented and macerated in oak barrels at controlled temperature.
Ageing: 12 months in 20 hl barrels and 12 months in the bottle.
TASTING NOTES:
Dark, luminous ruby red colour predominant aromas include refined spices, sour cherry and blackcurrants, balsamic notes, vanilla and resinated aromas of mediterranean pine; a highly classical expression of a native tuscan wine.
On the palate the tannin is dense and elegant, and heading towards a soft, velvety feel. to bring out the best in the wine, match with local products, such as cheeses, cured meats, pasta with meat sauce or grilled meats.
The passion of one man marks the beginning of the history of Podere Il Castellaccio. In the 1960s, Luigi Corradini, the maternal grandfather of current owner Alessandro Scappini, found an estate of 18 hectares on the hills of Castagneto Carducci. The area is Bolgheri, a place that was not yet world famous and had nothing to recommend it other than the essence of the land and the potential it had to produce great wine.
To plant his first vineyards Luigi was only able to use grapes that were native to the Chianti and Scansano area. Thus were Pugnitello, Foglia Tonda, Sangiovese planted – just a few hectares, native wine varieties and a small wine cellar. Over the years, the management of the estate gradually transitioned into the hands of his son Roberto.
However, it was only in 2009 that the winery Podere Il Castellaccio was founded by Alessandro Scappini, the third generation in charge of the estate.
Alessandro Scappini, born and raised in Bolgheri, decided indeed to work with a 60 years old family vineyard planted with ancient varieties.
In the meantime he also starts growing the signature grapes of the DOC and makes his debut on the market with its first Bolgheri wine with the vintage 2015.
His path inside the DOC is completed in the vintage 2018 when his Bolgheri Superiore Il Castellaccio is born and it was released for the first time on the market at the begin of 2021.
Podere Il Castellaccio is situated in Castagneto Carducci, across the seaward side of Segalari Hills, at an altitude of 194 meters a.s.l.
Due to its geographic position, the vineyards enjoy a Mediterranean climate, with more solar radiations, a better thermal excursion and a higher ventilation.
Not only Bolgheri
“A sip from the past, while looking to the future” is the catchphrase used by this highly-manicured Bolgheri winery.
More info?
Take a look at the website and follow the producer on the socials
Guida Bio 2024: a lot of “leaves” for Cantina LaSelva
Guida Bio 2024: a lot of “leaves” for Cantina LaSelva
Continue readingCiliegiolo’s transformation
Ciliegiolo’s transformation
Continue readingCantina LaSelva’s awards update
Cantina LaSelva’s awards update
Continue readingJames Suckling awards’ update
James Suckling awards’ update
Continue readingCastello di Bolgheri’s website is live
Castello di Bolgheri’s new website is live
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