Episode 027 | Fontodi - Young. Courageous. Full of energy. In conversation with Margherita Manetti - Part 2

Margherita Manetti is part of the young generation at the Fontodi winery

Fontodi from the inside - A look into the cellar with Margherita Manetti

In the second part of my conversation with Margherita Manetti from the Fontodi winery in Panzano in Chianti, things get really exciting: we delve into the cellar and take a look at how the wines that make Fontodi so unique are created.

Margherita takes us with her - first mentally through the cellar, then through her stories. It all starts with the grapes, which are painstakingly harvested by hand and double-selected. Only the perfect berries make it into the tanks. "It's hard work," says Margherita with a laugh. "You stand at the sorting table all day, your eyes burn, your back hurts - but it's worth it. Quality is everything."

Sorting table

Of amphorae and French oak

In the Fontodi cellar, tradition meets experimentation. Sangiovese is traditionally fermented in stainless steel tanks, but Fontodi now uses terracotta amphorae for international grape varieties such as Pinot Noir or Syrah - made from the same galestro-containing clay as the soil around Panzano.

Then it's on to the barrels: around 1,000 French oak barriques are waiting on the bottom floor of the cellar. "We used to have 80% new barrels, now it's only 30%," says Margherita. "We want to preserve the finesse of the Sangiovese and Pinot Noir and not hide everything under a thick layer of wood."

There are around 1,000 French oak barriques in the Fontodi cellar

Flaccianello - a piece of revolution

Of course, the story of Flaccianello della Pieve, Fontodi's legendary Supertuscan, is not to be missed. Margherita tells the story of how her father produced a 100% Sangiovese in the early 1980s - a breach of the rules at the time. The wines were (de)classified as simple "Vino da Tavola" until IGT was introduced as a category in the 1990s. "Today it's unimaginable that 100% Sangiovese was forbidden," says Margherita. "But it was precisely this rebellion that made Fontodi what it is today."

Incidentally, the name Flaccianello goes back to a small Romanesque church, Pieve di San Leolino, near the winery, whose cross also adorns the label. "Today, the church is almost a tourist attraction, everyone wants to see the Flaccianello cross," says Margherita.

Travel, markets and people

Today, Margherita is not only in the cellar, but also the face of Fontodi worldwide. 80% of the wines are exported, mainly to the USA, Canada and Northern Europe. Each market has its own characteristics: "In Asia, wine and brands are luxury goods - there it is often more about the image than the depth of the wines. In the USA, on the other hand, there are many collectors who keep Flaccianello in their cellars for decades."

Panzano - one village, one vision

At the end of the conversation, we return to Panzano, where Margherita's father was the president of the Unione Viticoltori di Panzano, the winegrowers' association of Panzano, for a long time. Panzano was later named the first organic wine-growing district in Italy by the international wine press. Today there are 23 wineries here, almost all of which work organically. "We are a family, not competitors," says Margherita. "That's what makes Panzano special."

Panzano in Chianti

My tip:
If you want to feel the Fontodi spirit even more, be sure to listen to the second podcast episode. Margherita's passion for wine, nature and craftsmanship is infectious - and Flaccianello has long been more than just a wine, it's a piece of Tuscan history.

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