At the end of the seventies, the time of the recovery of viticulture in the Chianti, a young Venetian entrepreneur came to this part of the world, a difficult, dignified land like the people who live there. The industrialist looked for a farm to buy, not to show the Tuscans how to make wine but to make a great wine in Tuscany, to upgrade even more the tone of his consolidated activity. He came to Albola near Redda, an ancient borgo, fortified by the Acciaiuoli and felt that the place was ideal to fulfill his ‘dream in the Chianti’: to make an excellent wine in a suitable setting.
Twenty years have passed since the early beginnings and now Gianni Zonin can say that he has won his challenge also in this field or, better, he has perfectly adjusted the Castello di Albola firm, to the concept of a non-invasive entrepreneurship in keeping with the surroundings: “Each region has its tradition” says Zonin “and each region must have its wine. With this idea in mind, I have tried, in all these years, to produce a Chianti Classico able to express its typical characteristics in the most complete way”. Let us take a walk in the borgo, just a short one inside and around the different parts of the different parts of the buildings, united to one another by the same history and the same stones. As welcomed and warmly received guests, we felt immediately at home and stopped for lunch when we were able to appreciate the excellent wines produced here. We were offered a full-bodied, powerful red wine, the Chianti Classico Riserva Castello d’Albola, a wine matured in small oak barrels which, in our opinion, is a perfect accompaniment to grilled meat dishes. We were then introduced to Acciaiolo, a superb Supertuscan wine in which the Sangiovese and Cabernet grapes reduce their differences to form a perfect balance, a truly unforgettable wine.
When saying good-bye, Gianni Zonin invites us to visit the vineyard around the property: “These are the very same vines that produce the grapes used for making Acciaiolo, the wine you enjoyed so much”. The Villa is surrounded by vineyards cultivated with Sangiovese and Cabernet for making Acciaiolo, thus called to pay homage to the ancient Florentine family, who were the first owners of Albola.
With Gianni Zonin, the number of wines becomes really impressive. His clear ideas, sustained by a passion for the countryside, a knack for business and also a good deal of courage are the prerogatives of his background as an entrepreneur, not only in terms of numbers but also of quality. Today, Gianni Zonin is the head of a business enterprise with eleven farms in Italy and one in the Unites States.

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See also:

The Castle Of Gabbiano in Chianti, The Antinori Family Wine Producers, Antinori: Wine Makers for 800 Years, Mazzei of Fonterutoli Chianti Makers, Volpaia: a Wine, a Hamlet, Colle Bereto in Florence, The Small Vineyard of Colle Bereto, The Great Montevertine: a Small Winegrower, Castello Brolio of Ricasoli Firidolfi, Colombaio di Cencio Tech Wine, Ricasoli of Cacchiano, San Felice Chianti Hamlet

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