Castello di Volognano – I am a Tuscan Grape
By Cody Durbin
Photo by Isabela Elizondo
Any great wine “will always have story behind it” says Camilla Carrega, a wine instructor at Apicius and wine producer at Castello di Volognano, a local family winery located 12 kilometers east of Florence. This vineyard was planted in the 1960s by her grandfather, whose name is honored on the Aetius Vin Santo featured at JBF, and is run by his daughter Patrizia and granddaughter Camilla. Camilla gave her perspective on her wines which have been showcased at JBF two times. She shared that “each wine is like a sip of me,” and showcases the intimate profiles that each person that she chooses to make a wine for. “The Donna Patrizia, for example, is like a sip of a my mother,” and this grape-personality comparison gives great imagery to illustrate the idea of a family of wines, with faces to match. Her acquaintances are alway wondering when she is going to make a wine for herself, but she “is still discovering what grape she is.”
Castello di Volagnano is by definition, an example of a pure Tuscan family winery where the personality of the wines speaks to each customer. Starting with only one white and one red 40 years ago, the family has been adding to their wines, now featuring five wines in total and ranging from a full-bodied Chianti to a Toscana Rosso. Volognano only uses the grapes found in property’s vineyards. Camilla reveals that having her wine featured and presented at JBF gives her great satisfaction, and especially the thought of another individual sharing her winery’s story. The production is small-scale but can be related to the strong quality whose ratio is very high. The Vin Santo is going to be featured at the JBF dinner, and the other wines can be found online at the winery website. The property’s castle is also available as a boutique vacation rental for a small number of guests or groups, and all visitors are considered not just guests but a family friend.