Bolgheri, wine and art: the icon of “renaissance” of Italian wine, in Renaissance Florence

Between past, present and future, between history, art and great wines, among the most renowned Italian names worldwide, and from some of the most precious vineyards in Italy, Bolgheri, a territory which marked the Renaissance of Italian wine, continues to remain constantly in the spotlight. And it did so right in the cradle of the Renaissance, Florence, in recent days, through two distinct and different moments. One such moment took place in the halls of Gonnelli Casa d’Aste, the oldest auction house in Italy, which sold for 16,510 euros (from a starting bid of 4,000 euros) the monumental map, or rather the “handwritten cabreo of 1837, depicting the estates of Count Guido Alberto Della Gherardesca before their definitive modern transformation”. And also before the famous cypress-lined avenue “which, in Bolgheri, tall and straight, runs from San Guido in double rows”, immortalized by the verses of “Davanti a San Guido” - “In front of Saint Guido” by Giosuè Carducci. These verses have become the symbol of a territory which moves forward in a united and cohesive way like few others, as demonstrated again by the 51 producers who gathered together with their Bolgheri Rosso 2024 and Bolgheri Superiore 2023 (with a few Bolgheri Bianco wines to refresh the palate and some older vintages), who on May 18th met wine merchants, sommeliers and restaurateurs from across Italy within the walls of the Marino Marini Museum. This former church of San Pancrazio in Florence, now deconsecrated, hosts the works of the Pistoia-born artist and sculptor, one of the most important figures of the twentieth century.
“Not a preview, but a collective presentation of our new vintages to our natural national market, which is Florence - explained Cinzia Merli, president of the Consortium for Bolgheri and Bolgheri Sassicaia Wines, to WineNews - we couldn’t fail to start here: a sort of thank you to a city which is strongly linked to the early days of our territory”. Today, Bolgheri is a symbol of global winemaking, whose development effectively began in the mid-twentieth century thanks to its “founding fathers”: Nicolò Incisa della Rocchetta, who established Tenuta San Guido and the Sassicaia legend, created by his father Mario Incisa together with great enologist Giacomo Tachis; Lodovico Antinori, creator of estates such as Ornellaia and Masseto, now part of the Frescobaldi Group; Piero Antinori, with the splendid Tenuta Guado al Tasso; Pier Mario Meletti Cavallari, founder of Grattamacco, now part of the ColleMassari Group; Eugenio Campolmi, who founded Le Macchiole, now run by his wife Cinzia Merli and their children; and Michele Satta, founder of the winery bearing his name, one of the key estates of the area. Today, this story is also told through figures. The Consortium for the Protection of Bolgheri DOC and Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC wines, founded in January 1995, now brings together 77 wineries contributing to a registered vineyard area of 1,379 hectares (of which 1,181 are devoted to red grape varieties), covering more than 99% of the territory.
Vineyard values are among the highest in Italy, reaching 1.2 million euros per hectare (according to “Knight Frank” data), and the denomination most famous labels are regularly present at auctions, fetching significant prices (notably Sassicaia, Masseto and Ornellaia), successfully riding the fine wine market monitored by Liv-ex.
The average age of vineyards is 15 years, and most estates oversee the entire production cycle, from vineyard to bottling. In 2025, production reached 7.3 million bottles, a figure which has remained more or less stable since 2018. Of these, Bolgheri Rosso accounts for 62%, Bolgheri Superiore 19% (together with Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC), followed by Bolgheri Vermentino and Bolgheri Bianco at 16%, and finally Bolgheri Rosato at 3%. This territory also makes its presence felt at the Venice Biennale, where the exhibition dedicated to Marina Abramović - the first living female artist to be honored with such a show - is on display. She is also the latest contributor to the Ornellaia Vendemmia d’Artista 2023 project “La Vitalità,” in which, on the bottles of the Bolgheri label, she portrayed herself as Medusa with grape clusters instead of snakes. For her, wine is “an elixir capable of bringing happiness to people” because “it is connected to communities, their history, people, and human relationships”, and “having a good meal and drinking a good glass of wine is a ritual”, as she said in a recent interview with “Corriere della Sera - Cook”. These special bottles will be auctioned online by Bonhams from June 11th to 23rd, with proceeds benefiting the Guggenheim Pop exhibition in New York (June 5th, 2026 - January 10th, 2027).
Returning to the Florentine event, the idea of bringing what is good, i.e. Bolgheri wines, into what is beautiful, i.e. the monuments of Florence, was immediately embraced by producers, who participated in large numbers, demonstrating the strong unity of purpose among members and their trust in the Consortium. “We strongly feel the desire to contribute to bringing the culture of wine into the culture of art and food - added Daniele Parri, director of the Bolgheri Consortium - thus, choosing the Marino Marini Museum was almost natural, because between one wine and another, visitors can admire the sculptures and paintings of the famous Pistoian artist or step outside to enjoy a bite in the traditional eateries of the historic center, appreciating its beauty and contributing to the economy of the city. Bringing beauty together with beauty”. The idea was to take a kind of “walk through Bolgheri outside Bolgheri”, using the glass as a sensory journey necessary, for instance, to test the cohesion of producers and the recognition of the Consortium work. “But also to get feedback from the public - pointed out Lamberto Frescobaldi, head of Marchesi Frescobaldi and present for Ornellaia (of the Frescobaldi Group like Massero, ed), one of the jewels of the area wines - economic return is truly the last objective, even if always welcome. It certainly doesn’t replace hospitality in individual wineries, but gathering together in one place, available to the sector, is a necessary moment for any self-respecting denomination”. Consortium vice president, Giacomo Satta of Michele Satta winery, describes this as a “trajectory”, not a one-off event but a long-term intention which could lead to two annual meetings - one abroad and one in Italy - where producers meet industry professionals while maintaining the cultural leitmotif of the event.
“The Marino Marini Museum, in a sense, sums up Bolgheri journey: both combine the classical with the modern and the contemporary. Bolgheri once represented a break with traditional wine conventions - added president Cinzia Merli - quickly achieving credibility which was initially absent and becoming today one of the great globally recognized Italian wine regions”. Looking around, these three levels - classical, modern and contemporary - are indeed intertwined within the museum. The Church of San Pancrazio is medieval and was deconsecrated by Napoleon in 1808. It later had various uses, even becoming the headquarters of the Royal Tobacco Factory, from which the iron beams inside originate. In 1937 it became a military depot, until restoration began in 1982 to adapt it into a museum, introducing modern staircases and walkways that allow visitors to view Marino Marini contemporary artworks from different perspectives.
As if that weren’t enough, next to the deconsecrated church lies a little-known treasure: the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre, restored in the mid-1400s by Leon Battista Alberti at the request of the Renaissance Florentine merchant and patron Giovanni di Paolo Rucellai. Inside stands the small temple of the Holy Sepulchre, clad in inlaid two-tone marble that reproduces, on a smaller scale, the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. A refined masterpiece adorned with white and green panels and intricate decorative motifs, which the Rucellai family fiercely protected from Napoleonic requisitions. They managed to retain the chapel (opening an entrance onto the adjacent street) while conceding the rest of the church and cloister. Since 1808, therefore, these two spaces have followed different paths: the chapel remained consecrated and intact, while the rest experienced many lives, military, religious and civil. Only in 2013 did the chapel reopen to the public through an agreement with the museum. Inspired by Marino Marini sculptures, engravings, paintings and drawings, and by the multiple perspectives offered by the architecture of the Church of San Pancrazio, here are the tastings of Bolgheri red wines as reviewed by the WineNews editorial team.

Banfi, Bolgheri Superiore Deinos 2023
A Cabernet Sauvignon with a rugged sweetness, featuring wild berries and brambles, along with floral and delicate herbal notes that cool the warmth even on the palate; it offers a sunny, full-bodied mouthfeel and finishes with hints of undergrowth.

Ca’ Marcanda (Gaja), Bolgheri Rosso 2023
Tomato leaf and cherry jam intertwine with notes of red flowers, foreshadowing a velvety and very savory mouthfeel—full-bodied and balanced, with a long, harmonious finish.

Caccia al Piano (Guido Berlucchi), Bolgheri Superiore 2021
It opens with a distinct minty note, then softens into notes of cherry jam and vanilla; the intense nose gives way to a full-bodied and very floral palate, marked by a balsamic finish.

Campo al Mare (Ambrogio e Giovanni Folonari Tenute), Bolgheri Superiore Baia al Vento 2023
Already highly concentrated on the nose with aromas of undergrowth and licorice, it adds fruity notes on the palate, where it starts off full-bodied before giving way to persistent freshness and savory notes.

Campo alle Comete (Feudi di San Gregorio), Bolgheri Rosso Stupore 2024
Fresh aromas with a broad profile, featuring dried flowers and fresh fruit; it reveals a contrasting character on the palate as well, where the liveliness of the primary flavors blends with darker notes throughout the textured, balsamic mouthfeel.

Fabio Motta (Gussalli Beretta), Bolgheri Rosso Le Pievi 2024
Very balsamic, with sweet notes of cherry and plum and floral elegance; the palate is full-bodied yet broad in texture, flowing fresh and graceful with citrus and fruity tones.

Grattamacco (ColleMassari Group), Bolgheri Superiore Grattamacco 2023
To its distinctly red fruit aromas, it adds the freshness of Mediterranean scrub and pepper, along with hints of rock. On the palate, it is energetic: it holds back and then releases juiciness and savory notes, perfectly balanced.

Guado al Melo, Bolgheri Rosso Antillo 2024
Light in color with aromas of mandarin, currant candy, raspberry, rosemary flowers, and iodine, it offers juice and pulp on the palate; it is subtle and crisp, both in structure and in its immediate flavors.

I Luoghi, Bogheri Rosso 2024
Spicy notes, earthy and root-like, followed by red fruit jam and myrtle, and finally blood orange: warm yet sharp, it clings well but then flows, spreading balsamic freshness and floral gentleness.

Le Macchiole, Bolgheri Rosso 2024
Concentrated aromas of fresh fruit, Mediterranean scrub, and red flowers; the palate is full-bodied and rich, offering generous notes of berries and flowers, as well as a briny, iodine-like savory quality.

Le Vigne di Silvia, Bolgheri Rosso Artemio 2023
Darker notes of tar followed by fresh spices, opening with aromas of cherry and blood orange; the palate has a good balsamic texture, with the spices and cherry returning, without succumbing to sweetness.

Le Crocine, Bolgheri Rosso 57022 2024
Gooseberries and red currants, cherry, and raspberry open the fresh, bristly aromas found on the palate, along with hints of sweet spices and flowers, and a decisive savory quality with tannins that are still assertive.

Michele Satta, Bolgheri Superiore Piastraia 30th Vintage 2023
Crisp notes of sour cherry and blood orange, lavender flowers, and rosemary. The palate is bold in flavor, structure, and acidity, then softens into notes of flowers, licorice, and Mediterranean scrub.

Orma (Moretti Cuseri), Bolgheri Superiore Aola di Orma 2023
Tending toward sweetness with violet and red fruit jam, it is refreshed by licorice and undergrowth, which return on the palate with peppery and citrus notes, firm in tannins but sweet on the finish.

Ornellaia (Frescobaldi), Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia 2023
A lively, full-bodied nose of cherry and plum, with salty notes, hints of vanilla and the Maremma scrub, and finally red flowers and violet; the palate deepens in tone, remaining fresh and persistent.

Podere Castellaccio, Bolgheri Superiore Il Castellaccio 2023
On the nose, balsamic notes dominate, accompanied by hints of strawberry and currant; it is very fresh and dense. On the palate, it offers savory depth and fruity acidity, softened by long-lasting floral and iodine-like notes.

Podere Prospero, Bolgheri Rosso 2022
Forest notes, both fruity and balsamic, along with vanilla, pepper, and orange peel, foreshadow a palate that is equally citrusy and peppery, dense in its savory texture, warm, and persistent.

Podere Sapaio, Bolgheri Rosso Volpolo 2024
A dense bouquet on the nose yet lively with fresh black and red fruit, balsamic notes, and dried flowers. The lively acidity and firm tannins enliven the savory palate, finishing with floral and earthy notes.

Poggio al Tesoro (Marilisa Allegrini), Bolgheri Superiore Dedicato a Walter 2021
The palate is tight, full-bodied, meaty, and juicy, developing notes of pepper, tomato leaf, spice, and undergrowth. The nose is much more subtle: certainly balsamic but also sweet with wild berries.

Ruffino, Bolgheri Superiore Garzaia 2023
It opens with balsamic notes, almost minty, followed by cherry jam and hints of spice; the tannins are fruity, and the full, savory finish blends with peppery and spicy warmth.

San Felice, Bolgheri Rosso Bell’Aja 2024
With darker, more mature hues, it offers aromas of cherry jam, earth, and undergrowth; the palate is broad, savory, and warm, with an acidic finish that extends the wine’s good, rich, and sweet structure.

Tenuta Fratini, Bolgheri Superiore Harte 2022
Notes of plum and black cherry, tomato leaf, licorice, and cardamom, along with aromatic herbs, give way to hints of chinotto on the palate, where the wine is savory and fresh, with balsamic and fruity notes.

Tenuta Guado al Tasso (Antinori), Bolgheri Superiore Guado al Tasso 2023
Dense and dark on the nose, with blackberry and plum jam, alternating with notes of mint and pine, along with hints of spice and blood, it has a juicy mouthfeel with fruity acidity that lingers for a long time thanks to its plump tannins.

Tenuta Meraviglia (Alejandro Bulgheroni Family Vineyards), Bolgheri Superiore Maestro di Cava 2020
A generous nose of primary, secondary, and tertiary aromas, all crisp and well-balanced, as on the palate, with pronounced savory notes and a full-bodied texture that lingers with a sinuous, peppery finish.

Tenuta San Guido, Bolgheri Sassicaia 2023
The nose is characterized by balsamic notes, accompanied by sweet hints of ripe red fruit and red flowers, followed by fresh spices; the same elegant, intricate texture is present on the palate, which is subtle and deeply complex.