"Until now, the main goal of the Frescobaldi winery has been to develop the vineyards and fine-tune the production process. From now on, what matters is how we pass on what we have achieved to the next generation. I hope the next generation will carry forward, in a better way, what Frescobaldi accomplished in the past and what we are attempting now to raise wine quality."
Stefano Benini, vice president leading Italy's Frescobaldi winery, said this at a press briefing held at WSA Academy in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 12th. Benini is the 30th-generation descendant of the Frescobaldi family.
Frescobaldi is a winery in Italy's Tuscany region founded in 1308, with a history spanning more than 700 years. It was established when the Marchesi Frescobaldi family, who amassed wealth through banking in Florence in the 12th century, invested in the wine business. It is so storied that there are accounts that Renaissance-era artists such as Donatello and Michelangelo enjoyed the wines and that their works had transactions with the wines. Frescobaldi also sold wine to England's Henry VIII, and a contract signed by the English king is said to still be kept by the family. In Korea, Shinsegae L&B is the official importer.
To become a long-lived company, one must pursue continuous change in step with the times. Frescobaldi, too, is regarded as a pioneer of modern wine production technology in Tuscany. In 1855, the Frescobaldi family planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Merlot for the first time in the Chianti area. In the 1960s and 1970s, they introduced temperature control during fermentation and adopted a gravity-flow design to allow must to move naturally. Through this, they achieved wines with a stable and refined style. And in 1973, they became the first in Italy to age white wine in oak barrels.
In recent years, they have managed vineyards by plots and carried out harvesting and fermentation by individual blocks to maximize each vineyard's characteristics. In addition, by expanding sustainability projects and organic and eco-friendly farming, they are taking the lead in elevating the quality of Tuscan wine. They currently own vineyards in nine areas in Tuscany, and the family directly manages and oversees a total of 1,200 hectares to produce consistent wines.
Frescobaldi's "Pomino Benefizio Riserva" is Tuscany's first single-variety Chardonnay white wine. Currently, in Italy there are only three places, including Frescobaldi, where white wines can bear the Riserva designation. In Italian wine, Riserva is an official classification that can be used only after aging for a specified period, meaning the wine is aged longer than regular wines and is more meticulously selected.
Pomino Benefizio Riserva's first vintage was produced in 1973, and the 2023 vintage, the 50th-anniversary release, was recently launched. The Pomino area sits at an elevation of 400 to 750 meters, with large diurnal temperature swings, and its limestone-clay mixed soils yield wines with vivid minerality. The harvested grapes are fermented by plot, then aged for about nine months, half in new oak and half in once-used oak. During this process, partial malolactic fermentation is applied to gently lower acidity and enrich texture.
Vice President Benini said, "Benefizio is a symbolic product that showed the potential of Tuscan white wine," adding, "The 2023 vintage features citrus and fresh mineral aromas, and it will drink well after five years of aging."
He said, "In recent decades, Frescobaldi's wine business has accelerated and grown significantly," adding, "I want to pass on to the next generation how to manage the passion and ideas for running the winery."
On the Korean market, he said, "Even looking only at Korea among Asian markets, consumers have matured compared with before," adding, "Overall consumption has decreased, but even if they drink less, they seek quality wine. So we expect Frescobaldi to achieve good results in the Korean market."
He added, "Recently, wine consumption trends linked to lifestyle have stood out," saying, "As in Italy, Korean consumers also tend to enjoy wine lightly with food, together with friends."