Banfi, based in Montalcino, with its fairy-tale castle and around 850 hectares of vines, is the American dream come true. Founded in 1978 by the two brothers John and Harry Mariani, two Italian-Americans who had made a name for themselves as wine importers in New York, the company has put an incredible amount of heart and soul into making it what it is today: an Italian wine empire centred on Sangiovese, which focuses entirely on quality and presents a very diverse, solid range of wines year after year. Banfi has played a major role in the history of Brunello.
Today, Banfi is managed by Cristina Mariani-May. With her modern corporate style, which is committed to sustainability and tradition alike, and her great team in the vineyard and cellar, she ensures that Tuscan wines continue to ride a wave of success worldwide.
Cristina Mariani-May
CEO
Banfi? Surely the Italian-American wine empire belongs in Tuscany, in Montalcino? Surely. But the visionary founders John and Harry Mariani also acquired a winery in Piedmont at the end of the 1970s, just one year after the Tuscan winery was founded, where the most important appellations of origin from Lower Piedmont are produced: Dolcetto, Brachetto, Albarossa, a cross between Barbera and Nebbiolo, and Alta Langa.
The winery was founded in 1860 and has always been known for its sparkling wines and also for the single-vineyard wine Principessa Gavia made from Cortese grapes. This seductively fragrant white wine is reminiscent of the princess of the same name, who lost her heart to a simple guard and fled with her beloved to a Piedmontese village to escape her father’s wrath. In the end, the king was understanding and gifted the couple the village that still bears the name Gavi to this day – just like the wine produced there.
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