One cannot help but fall in love with Tuscany. Easy on the eyes; think big, rolling hills and terracotta-roofed villages, and easy on the pallet; think crisp beautiful wines and hearty, homemade soups. Years of history have sculpted the shape of the landscape into what it is todayand winemaker Frescobaldi is one of the artists we can thank for that.

The oldest estate (or rather estates, as they have six) in Tuscany, Frescolbaldi properties are everywhere in the region. Their earliest, Castello di Nipozzano in the heart of Chianti Rufina, dates back 700 years and was once served to Renaissance artists such as Donatello and Michelangelo, who traded thier painting for cases. Through a list of complicated contacts, the wine was also introduced to the Papal court in Rome as well as to King Henry VIIIth, records of which are on show at the estate. Other estates include Castello di Pomino, Tenuta di Castelgiocondo, Tenuta di Castiglioni and Tenuta dell'Ammiraglia. In its 30th generation, today the estates are run by the effervescent and charismatic Marchese Lamberto Frescolbaldi, who is committed to making wines that “tickle the soul”, yet remain mindful of each estate's diversity. All six estates are sustainable.

The Gorgona project sees inmates in their final years of sentencing at Gorgona island prison work closely with Frescobaldi agronomists and oenologists. The small vineyard that was originally planted with Vermentino and Ansonica grapes in 2012 now measures 2-hectares and is commercialised under the eponymous name. The project gives the inmates tangible skills that can be used upon thier release and something in the bank too, as Frescobaldi pays them the going rate for their work. Produced in tiny quantities it is possible to buy on the secondary market but bottles are very, very scarce. A brainchild of the Italian Penitentiary department, when Frescobaldi asked why they had been identified the authorities replied: “you were the only ones to reply”.