The Bulgari family has added wine to their crown. Together with the “Nobel” of wine-makers, Riccardo Cotarella, they’ve created three new jewels from their Tuscan estate in Podernuovo - each one carries the IGT classification, denoting it as a product of the specific region. And all three wines are from the 2009 vintage: there’s the Therra (in the picture), which is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Montepulciano; the Argirio, a pure Cabernet Franc; and Sotirio, which is 100% Sangiovese with a strong, robust character.
Having grown up between Rome and an estate on the lake of Corbara, thirty-something Giovanni Bulgari decided to leave the paternal business and the glossy “bejeweled” milieu behind for the grittier world of wine making. In 2004, together with his father Paolo, he bought the Podernuovo estate in Palazzone, the Southern region of Tuscany near Siena. They shared a common challenge: to revive the 22 hectares that had long gone untended and abandoned.
The first payoffs have finally arrived: the wines have been well received by enologists and foodies alike. Apparently the Argirio is particularly well paired with the Portuguese dish Bacalhau à Bràs and with Middle Eastern shish kebabs.
Az. Agricola Podernuovo
Località Podernuovo
S.Casciano ai Bagni, Siena, Italy
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