A Celebration Of Sustainability, Wine & Haute Cuisine: Wine Tasting With The Ferragamo Family’s Il ...

Photo Credit: Il Borro

Haute Wine Society and Wine Access celebrated Earth Day by going wine tasting with Il Borro, a fabulous Italian winery owned by the Ferragamo family, followed by a cooking demonstration at their luxurious Relais & Châteaux hotel of the same name. Here, you’ll find an exquisite taste of Tuscany from this sustainable locale, which reopens to visitors June 1.

Salvatore Ferragamo   Photo Credit: Il Borro

Salvatore Ferragamo is the first of Ferruccio Ferragamo’s six children, twin of James, in Florence, and is the CEO of Il Borro. Prior to assuming responsibility for the family’s agro-leisure business as AD, Salvatore worked in the international division of KPMG Peat Marwick in Florence. He worked nationally and internationally in KPMG’s audit, finance, and consulting departments. From 1990 he interned at Salvatore Ferragamo SpA in the marketing and production departments where he planned marketing strategies for the company in Italy and France. He then decided to further his professional training with an MBA degree at New York University’s Stern School of Business, specializing in Finance and International Business. In 1993 he joined his father Ferruccio Ferragamo in the long and challenging restoration of the ancient medieval village of Il Borro and in the development of the wine business. His love for the Tuscan countryside and great wines drove him, step by step, to the creation of what Il Borro is today. In 2012 Il Borro became part of Relais & Châteaux and Salvatore was made Ambassador with the responsibility of representing the excellence and prestige of the organization.

Vittoria Ferragamo   

Photo Credit: Il Borro

Vittoria Ferragamo, too, is one of Feruccio Ferragamo’s six children. She joined the Il Borro board in 2013 and is responsible for the Equestrian Center, all the Special Projects dedicated to Sustainability and Organic Agriculture together with her brother Salvatore. Vittoria also takes care of Il Borro bee hives, the breeding chickens and hens, and the extensive Organic Vegetable Garden, and lastly oversees the production of the Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and any organic related projects.

Chef Andrea Campani

Photo Credit: Il Borro

Chef Andrea Campani is the man behind Osteria del Borro, a refined gastronomic restaurant with a warm country-style atmosphere. At the heart of his culinary philosophy, Campani uses a large tailor-made traditional oven with which he prepares generous grilled dishes cooked over a wood fire. Getting back to its roots, in direct contact with the flame, this cuisine is ethical and transparent, based solely on the dexterity of the chef and his knowledge of the ingredients.

Il Borro

Photo Credit: Francesca Pagliai

Il Borro is a magical medieval Tuscan estate owned by the Ferragamo family, which has the distinction of being one of the oldest cellars in Italy and the first ever to produce Chianti.

The Wines

Petruna 2017

Photo Credit: Il Borro

Petruna Anfora is produced from 100% Sangiovese grapes using only clay amphorae for making and storing the wine. The vineyard from which this wine is produced, Casa al Coltro, has a density of 4.500 plants per hectare and it is located at approximately 350 metres above sea level. The soil is Schistose with an optimal drainage capacity. At the end of August the plants are pruned leaving around 1 kg of grapes on each vine.The grapes, once they reach optimal ripeness, are harvested, destemmed and kept refrigerated overnight. They are sorted by an optical device and then pressed and decanted in large terracotta amphorae. The must begins to ferment in the amphora while undergoing the daily practice of “follatura”, the process by which marcs are pressed down to the bottom of the amphora several times a day. The amphorae are then sealed with stainless steel lids and left to macerate on skins for 12 months during which the interaction of terracotta, wine and skins allows a characteristic maturation that makes this wine so unique.

Purchase Petruna Anfora here 

Il Borro Super Tuscan 2016

Photo Credit: Il Borro

Il Borro has an intense ruby color, with purplish reflections. The bouquet is full and intense, concentrated, with notes of underbrush and with spicy scents. The taste is dry, with a good body and soft tannins, good consistency, well integrated and persistent.

Purchase Il Borro’s Super Tuscan here 

Lamelle Chardonnay

Photo Credit: Il Borro

Fruity and delightful on the palette, Lamelle is the youngest of the Il Borro wines and also the only white. It is produced by cold pressing 100% Chardonnay grapes.

Purchase Lamelle Chardonnay here 

The Recipes

Photo Credit: Il Borro

Photo Credit: Il Borro

Salvatore and Vittoria Ferragamo on Sustainability, Wine, Fashion and Italian Cuisine

 Photo Credit: Guglielmo de Mic

Salvatore on his father, Feruccio Ferragamo, buying the property as an act of faith: “When we made the  important decision to buy the property in 1993, it was in a terrible state of disrepair, so it was a question of restoring the property and faithfully restoring the property, taking advantage of all our local artisans that we have here. Actually restoring a property like that faithfully to what it was a thousand years ago…. The property is a magical place; really you can breathe in history and our efforts. Every square inch here the property, we have restored, turned over, we have maintained. The challenge was to make it seamless, so keeping it in the way that it has always been was important for us.”

Salvatore on why he decided to work with wine instead of the family’s fashion house: “I come from a large family. I am one of 27. cousins. My father has six children. I have an identical twin brother… We have some guidelines to follow to join the fashion business. We have some prerequisites, just really to ensure that the best talent joins the business. [Not everyone is right] just because you’re born into the family. You have to have the right attitude and profession. I did kind of all the pre-requirements with my twin brother, which were university degree, three years worth of experience with the company, not the group, and an MBA.  I really had all the opportunities to join the fashion side. In a way I chose against it. I thought, I carry my grandfather’s name and he means so much to us, even though he’s been long gone since 1960. We still talk about his incredible achievements. I was always inspired by this. I thought, ‘Why don’t I contribute something new? So I restored this property with my father, and today I am very proud to say that I have completely restored Il Borro and turned it into a property where guests can come and have a really outstanding experience… We have completely transformed the land into an organic farm. We’re certified organic farmers… We produce our own wines here, but not only that, extra virgin olive oil, we produce our own vegetables, we grow chickens, eggs, beef. As of last year, we started growing our own flowers and making our own bread.

Vittoria on the three most important things Il Borro has achieved: “I have to say that for for me, to have become organic is very important and I’ve always been huge nature lover and animal lover and, for me, our family property works like this every day. When we reached this in 2015 it was a huge accomplishment. Meeting Andrea and working with Andrea and having him as a part of our team at Il Borro has also been fantastic. For our restaurant, Il Borro Toscana, to become international, was a huge accomplishment; we also have one in Dubai. Along with that… being part of Relais & Chateaux and the evolution of the wine business. I first came to Il Borro when I was only six years old, with my father hunting, and I’ve really grown up here. Seeing all the steps we’ve made through the years and how much has changed, it’s a huge satisfaction, really.” 

Watch our wine tasting and cooking demonstration with Il Borro owners Salvatore and Vittoria Ferragamo — as well as Wine Access’ Vanessa Conlin and Haute Living’s Kamal Hotchandani and Laura Schreffler below!