Famiglia Zingarelli Three Generations of Chianti Classico Champions
For over 50 years, Famiglia Zingarelli has crafted exceptional, terroir-driven wines in Tuscany. Yet their story begins not in the vineyard, but on a soundstage in Rome.
Boxer-turned-actor Italo Zingarelli made his name as a producer of spaghetti westerns, most notably the “Trinity” franchise, starring Bud Spencer and Terrence Hill. Though he enjoyed cinematic success, Italo knew time was precious and decided he wanted to spend more time with family. And so, after careful research, he purchased his first parcels of vineyards and founded Famiglia Zingarelli in 1973.
What started as a small, family-run business in the village of Castellina has expanded to encompass six stunning properties across Tuscany: Le Macìe, Tenuta Sant’Alfonso, Riserva di Fizzano, and Le Tavolelle in Castellina, in the Chianti Classico region, along with Campo Maccione and Casamaria in the coastal region of Maremma.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Italo’s youngest son, Sergio, took over leadership of Famiglia Zingarelli in 1985. Working alongside his wife, Daniela, Sergio has overseen several important milestones for the winery. They have developed Famiglia Zingarelli’s international distribution network, managed the acquisition of three of the company’s estates, and implemented their all-important sustainability measures. A true ambassador for the Chianti Classico DOCG, Sergio has also held several positions within the Chianti Classico Consortium, including two terms as President (the maximum number of times one can serve in that position), during which he oversaw the creation of the Gran Selezione classification.
Today, Sergio and Daniela’s children, Andrea and Giulia, have become the third generation to join the family business. Andrea focuses on distribution, while Giulia works in sales and in hospitality. They’ve inherited their parents’ passion for Tuscan wine and will continue to champion the Chianti Classico DOCG.
Crafted at Famiglia Zingarelli’s modern, state-of-the-art cellars, their signature range of single-vineyard, barrel-aged wines include a fine Chianti Classico DOCG, Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG, Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG, and a remarkable Super Tuscan. The wines marry modern vibrancy with classic Tuscan elegance — and have won several 90+ point scores from the likes of Wine Enthusiast, Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator, Vinous, and critic James Suckling, among others.
It’s a riveting success story. Given the ample competition, few producers manage to rise through the ranks of the Tuscan wine scene. But with Famiglia Zingarelli, a star has been born — and it will only shoot to greater heights.
Terroir
Famiglia Zingarelli owns six estates in two of Tuscany’s most respected regions. Four properties lie in Castellina, one of Chianti Classico’s original districts. This area benefits from a warm Mediterranean climate that gives the grapes ample time to ripen. Chianti Classico’s hilly landscape allows vineyards to grow at higher altitudes (up to nearly 610 meters / 2,000 feet along Castellina’s ridge), providing grapes with the sun exposure to develop concentrated flavors and cool nights that preserve their vibrancy.
The Zingarelli family’s other two estates lie in Maremma, which extends from the Tyrrhenian coast to the Apennine foothills. Like Chianti Classico, it has a warm Mediterranean climate but is cooled by sea breezes that help the grapes retain freshness. The predominantly clay soils yield grapes with greater depth and complexity.
Viticulture
As the Zingarelli family proudly tell us, “The successes we have achieved as a winery are based, first and foremost, on the painstaking approach we take in the vineyards.” Across their estates, they tend 206 hectares / 508 acres of vines. Their Castellina properties cultivate sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and colorino, while the Maremma estates grow sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, chardonnay, and vermentino. The team performs leaf removal and green harvest to keep yields low and produce fruit with greater concentration. Harvesting is done by hand to ensure only the best-quality grapes go into the wines.
The family is strongly committed to environmental stewardship. Their eco-friendly practices include using organic fertilizers and green manure, mechanical weeding, and building dry stone walls, terraces, and drainage systems to prevent soil erosion. They’ve introduced bees into their vineyards to conserve biodiversity and have installed alarm systems to monitor vine health and the presence of damaging insects, which they remove by bringing in antagonistic insects. For these efforts, among others, Famiglia Zingarelli has received the VIVA Certification for Sustainability in Viticulture from the Italian Ministry of the Environment.
Traditional Winemaking in State-of-the-Art Cellars
The cellar team’s job is to make the most of the vine growers’ hard work. Each of the Zingarelli family’s wineries (four in Chianti Classico and one in Maremma) have been expanded and modernized with state-of-the-art fermentation equipment. For wines that require oak aging, the team use top-notch French or Slavonian oak barrels. Serious care goes into every bottle, and wines are only released when they’ve reached the start of their delicious peak.
