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Within the early 2010s, Maria Grazia Giampiccolo, then the jail director of the Gorgona Agricultural Penal Colony on the northernmost island of the Tuscan Archipelago, emailed greater than 200 Italian wineries in search of to develop a winemaking program utilizing vines planted by the College of Pisa’s Division of Agriculture in 1999.
That clarion name was answered by only one particular person: Lamberto Frescobaldi.
“I’m certain you’ve heard of the Frescobaldi household, an aristocratic Italian household that’s been making wine for 700 years. They could make some wines you’ve heard of: Ornellaia, Masseto — all very high-end costly wines,” stated Wanda Mann, a board member of the Society of Wine Educators and a previous president of Les Dames d’Escoffier New York, in her 2024 Meals & Wine Traditional seminar on coastal wines. “They’ve at all times had a bit vineyard in Gorgona — it’s sort of a venture to maintain the inmates busy. However the wines had been horrible and the vineyards had been in unhealthy form. So, the warden put out a name to among the greatest wineries in Italy and stated, ‘Are you able to come and assist us?’ And Lamberto Frescobaldi was the one one who stated sure. After I requested why he agreed, he stated, ‘I went there. The wine was horrible. The vineyards had been horrible. However I noticed one thing within the human spirit. There’s the concept that wine may be part of one thing higher — part of the rehabilitation of those males.’”
Frescobaldi Wines
“For a lot of of those males, it’s the primary time they’re getting an actual paycheck. Once they go away, they’ve the choice to work for any of the Frescobaldi estates. They’re paid whereas they’re in jail they usually’re paid whereas they work for Frescobaldi — then they go off and unfold their wings,” Mann continued. “Research have truly proven that this program has lowered the recidivism fee in comparison with the inmates that don’t take part. So now different nations want to do the identical factor.’”
Right this moment, greater than a decade after Frescobaldi developed the viticulture program, the maximum-security jail crafts two extremely restricted wines: Gorgona Bianco Costa Toscana IGT, made with Vermentino and Ansonica, and Gorgona Rosso Costa Toscana IGT, produced with Vermentino Nero and Sangiovese. The island, which spans little greater than 200 hectares, produces solely 9,000 bottles of every classic — making it a real rarity within the wine world.
Frescobaldi Wines
“On Gorgona, there may be the ‘uniqueness’ of this island and a venture that, regardless of producing a really restricted variety of bottles, by no means ceases to evoke feelings,” stated Lamberto Frescobaldi, the president of Marchesi Frescobaldi, in a press release offered to Meals & Wine. “We now have the chance to expertise this extraordinary land that conveys all the things via its scents and flavors: the love for the island, the care and keenness of individuals, the hope for a greater life, the affect of the ocean, and an exquisite surroundings. These little greater than two hectares of vineyards give life to an inimitable and unique wine, a logo of hope and freedom that continues to amplify around the globe. We’re thrilled to have been a part of this venture since 2012.”
In reality, this system has been so profitable that the Italian authorities plans to enlarge Gorgona’s vineyards by 50%.
Presently, there are 62 inmates engaged on this particular venture, and over the course of this system, 25 have chosen to work for Frescobaldi after their sentence. Essentially the most spectacular quantity, although, is the truth that 90% of the incarcerated individuals who labored the vineyards by no means return to the penitentiary.
And that, in and of itself, is priceless.