My story of visiting the Castello di Nipozzano began a few months ago when I had dinner at Ristorante Frescobaldi in London and got to know the Frescobaldi family’s story. They have been producing wine in Tuscany for 32 generations over nearly 700 years, and their current vision is for sustainable cultivation of the land, production of fine wines, and promotion of Tuscany’s culture. They own six different states in Tuscany and they believe the richness of Tuscany lies in the diversity of its territories: “we want each estate, with its wines, to reflect their characteristics and authenticity“.
Castello di Nipozzano is one of the Frescobaldi Tuscan wineries and is close to Florence. It is situated in the heart of the prestigious Chianti Rufina territory, on the mountain slope overlooking the Arno River valley. According to popular belief, “Nipozzano” means “without a well”, a testimony to the area’s lack of water, which is also an ideal circumstance for the cultivation of grapevines.
During our travel to Italy, I had the opportunity to visit Castello di Nipozzano, spend some time in this state and learn more about the Frescobaldi family and how they produce wine. We started our adventure with a tour of Castello di Nipozzano.
Our lovely guide was Giacomo, a proud Tuscanian who took us on a tour of the castle with great passion and a wealth of information about the area and wine. The castle is located on top of a hill where you can see a great view of Tuscany. It is so quiet and peaceful and the best place to relax away from the cities. Castello di Nipozzano also has a little farm where they produce local products such as dairy and meat.
We started our wine tour with a history of the Castello and how it became part of the Frescobaldi family. Next stop was the underground wine cellar, where the Nipozzano wines age for up to 24 months.
Then it was on to the Castello’s wine reserve. This was one of the surreal moments of my life when everything looked like what you usually only see in documentaries and movies! The Castello’s wine reserve is where they keep wines from 1846. You heard it right: 1846! It’s unbelievable! They have wines from 1846 up to 2008. Isn’t it fascinating? You could see the history through these bottles of wine. You can also see live molds and fungus around each bottle that help to preserve the wine.
At the end of the tour we sat down to try the amazing wines of Castello di Nipozzano, along with locally produced meats, sheep milk cheese, and wild berry jam from the little farm in the castle.
If you are spending some time in Tuscany, I certainly suggest visiting this fascinating place to see for yourself how they make amazing wine. The good news is that you can also stay for a night or two in their suites which are for people who want to enjoy a couple of days in Tuscany, along with the food and wine. The Castello converted the old olive press rooms to suites and tried to preserve as much as they could from the old buildings so every single room has a unique character. Check out these pictures to see it yourself!
If you don’t have a chance to visit this amazing winery and still want to taste their wines, they have a restaurant in London called Ristorante Frescobaldi where you can find their wines from all six states available for tasting and purchase.
