Farewell to Vittorio Frescobaldi, deeply attached to Tuscany yet open to the world

With his roots and heart firmly planted in his native Tuscany, yet his eyes and mind open to the world: this was Vittorio Frescobaldi, as clearly illustrated by his collaboration with the great American winemaker Robert Mondavi, beginning with the founding of Tenuta Luce in Montalcino in 1995, and continuing with a journey that led the joint venture to acquire, in 2002, Tenuta dell’Ornellaia in Bolgheri (which today comprises two distinct estates, Ornellaia and Masseto), which subsequently became the property of Frescobaldi in 2005. This story encapsulates the vision of the Florentine entrepreneur who passed away today at the age of 97 and who, together with his brothers Ferdinando and Leonardo Frescobaldi, greatly expanded the family business and a winemaking history spanning more than 700 years, before entrusting the leadership of the group to Lamberto Frescobaldi, who continues to lead it today.
There have been many tributes and messages of condolence from the wine and agriculture communities. Among them was a message from the Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida, who said: “With the passing of Vittorio Frescobaldi, Italy has lost a figure who helped raise the profile of our agriculture and winemaking around the world. He knew how to combine tradition with a vision for the future”, said Lollobrigida, “without ever forgetting his deep connection to his homeland. This was the formula that enabled him to become a leading figure for the entire sector”. Confagricoltura also offered moving words; Vittorio Frescobaldi, a former Knight of Labor, served as its national vice president from 1986 to 1990: “Throughout his long career as an entrepreneur, Marquis Vittorio Frescobaldi did not limit himself to continuing the wine production business started by his family in medieval times”, said Confagricoltura President Massimiliano Giansanti. “In the 1990s, he was among the first to recognize the importance of opening up to foreign markets and of telling the story of the territory where the wine is produced. These are two fundamental principles even today. If the whole world associates regions like Montalcino and Bolgheri with the excellence of Italian winemaking, we owe it in part to Marquis Vittorio Frescobaldi.”
The Frescobaldi family’s long-standing friendship with the British royal family is historic and well known, as evidenced by a visit by the then-Prince Charles to Montalcino (where he now owns two estates, Castelgiocondo and Luce, ed.), in the 1980s, when the future King Charles III, accompanied by Marquis Vittorio Frescobaldi himself, stopped at Caffè Fiaschetteria Italiana 1988 before enjoying a stroll along the town’s main streets. Since then, Charles has returned often to Tuscany, a region he loves as much as he loves Italian wine, thanks in part to his long-standing relationships with the great families of the Italian wine industry, among whom the Frescobaldis are historic suppliers of wine and olive oil to the British Crown. So much so that Bona and Vittorio Frescobaldi were also among the very few Italians invited to the wedding of Charles’s son, William, to Kate Middleton.