Why a Tuscan winery is looking to Burgundy for inspiration

Founded in 1974, Querciabella has extensive vineyard holdings in the Chianti Classico and Maremma regions of Tuscany, Italy, along the Etruscan coast. Owner Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni is a wine lover who works in the financial industry. He is an advocate of sustainability in agriculture and an investor in vegan-related businesses.

Export director Giorgio Fragiacomo says Querciabella is now looking towards Burgundy for inspiration. He believes that sangiovese, Tuscany’s indigenous grape variety, shares a special affinity with pinot noir. Both grapes produce light-coloured, high-acidity wines, with a fruit profile veering towards red fruits. Querciabella is now planting vineyards at higher altitude to allow a more “Burgundian style” to shine through.

Fragiacomo says that in the vineyard, “The goal has been to maintain a balanced ecosystem where healthy, living soil provides the highest quality of nourishment to vines, while achieving perfect harmony with the rest of nature.”

Querciabella employs biodynamics, utilising organic viticultural practices that follow the lunar cycle. In the cellar, no manipulation that compromises the natural chemical composition of wine takes place. No animal by-products are used and Querciabella is a vegan-friendly wine.

Querciabella has found its own niche among Super Tuscan wines, and its offerings are thoughtfully made, pure, elegant and encapsulate the best of Tuscany.

Querciabella, Batàr 2014, Toscana IGT, HK$760

Batàr plays homage to famed Burgundy white wine Bâtard-Montrachet. Fragiacomo calls Batàr the “white Sassicaia”, after Tuscany’s first Super Tuscan. It is made in small production, and has great power and ageing potential, just like its Burgundian counterpart.