Riecine

The winery is located in the municipality of Gaiole in Chianti (province of Siena) in the Italian region of Tuscany. It was founded in 1971 by the Englishman John Dunkley and his Italian wife Palmina Abbagnano. The first wine was marketed in 1973. The estate then came into the possession of Gary Bouhmann in 1998 and finally Lana Frank in 2011. Alessandro Campatelli and Ilda Roci are responsible as cellar masters. There is also a flat for rent.

The vineyards cover 19 hectares of vines in the municipality of Gaiole in the DOCG Chianti-Classico area. They are planted with the red wine varieties Sangiovese, some of which are over 50 years old, in the Palmina vineyard named after the founder, and Merlot in both the Albarello (Gobelet) and Guyot varieties. In addition, the white wine variety Trebbiano Toscano is also cultivated for a white wine. Organic farming is carried out according to the (not yet certified) rules of the ICEA (Istituto per la Certificazione Etica ed Ambientale). Through appropriate measures, the yield is a maximum of 50 hectolitres/hectare. The grape harvest and the subsequent vinification were carried out separately according to the parcels.

In principle, fermentation is carried out spontaneously with the vineyard's and winery's own yeasts in concrete tanks or in stainless steel, depending on the type of wine. The product range includes the DOCG wines Chianti-Classico and Chianti-Classico Riserva (made from the best grapes of the vintage, aged for 24 months in stainless steel), as well as the IGT wines Riecine di Riecine (aged for 24 months in concrete eggs), La Gioia (one of the first Super Tuscans, aged for 24 months in 500-litre tonneau) and Tresette Merlot. The wines are also suitable for vegans. About 80,000 bottles of wine are produced annually, marketed mainly in Italy, but also in Germany, the UK, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Holland and Belgium. The winery is a member of Consorzio of Chianti classico and AVG (Associazione Viticoltori di Gaiole).