Loss in Italian wine: Marchese Vittorio Frescobaldi dies at 97

Marchese Vittorio Frescobaldi, one of the leading figures in the birth of modern Tuscan and Italian viticulture and winemaking, died during the night at the age of 97. A Knight of Labor and vice president of Confagricoltura from 1986 to 1990, Frescobaldi contributed to the international growth of Tuscan wine and the promotion of some of its principal territories.

The Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico, the Consorzio Vino Chianti, Confagricoltura, and Veronafiere were the first to express their condolences for his passing, recalling the role Frescobaldi played in the development of regional winemaking and its establishment in foreign markets.

Vittorio Frescobaldi belonged to a family with a history in wine production dating back to fourteenth-century Florence. According to the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico, he was able to embrace this heritage by combining respect for tradition with innovation.

The Consorzio remembers him as “one of the noble fathers of the modern renaissance of Tuscan and Italian winemaking.” His entrepreneurial activity also involved Chianti Classico, contributing to the qualitative growth and international reputation of Tuscany’s great wine-growing territories.

“His work, guided by a deep respect for tradition and a constant drive toward innovation, has left an indelible mark on the Italian wine landscape,” emphasizes the Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico.

Confagricoltura president Massimiliano Giansanti and the Executive Board expressed their condolences to Lamberto Frescobaldi, Vittorio’s son, his wife Bona, and daughters Diana, Fiammetta, and Angelica. Giansanti recalled Frescobaldi’s role in the evolution of the family business and its opening to international markets.

“Throughout his long life as an entrepreneur, Marchese Vittorio Frescobaldi did not simply continue the wine production activity begun by his family in medieval times,” Giansanti states. “In the 1990s he was among the first to grasp the importance of opening up to foreign markets and telling the story of the territory from which the wine is born. Two principles that remain fundamental today.”

Giansanti also links Frescobaldi’s work to the international renown achieved by some of Tuscany’s principal wine territories.

“If the entire world associates territories such as Montalcino and Bolgheri with the excellence of Italian winemaking, we owe it in part to Marchese Frescobaldi,” Giansanti adds. “His absence will be felt, but his example will remain fundamental for continuing to innovate and make the national wine sector ever stronger.”

Veronafiere president Federico Bricolo also remembered Frescobaldi, emphasizing his relationship with Vinitaly since the first edition.

“With the passing of Vittorio Frescobaldi we lose an absolute protagonist of Italian wine and a gentleman, a figure who was able to enhance the family’s centuries-old tradition in the sector, read changes with far-sighted anticipation, giving renewed international momentum to his company and the entire industry. He was also a protagonist of Vinitaly, present from the first edition, contributing decisively to its development. To Lamberto Frescobaldi and his entire family I extend at this time, on my own behalf, on behalf of Veronafiere and Vinitaly, our most affectionate thoughts.”

Giovanni Busi, president of the Consorzio Vino Chianti, called the passing of Vittorio Frescobaldi “a serious loss for the entire world of Tuscan wine. He was a protagonist of a decisive era for the growth and recognition of our viticulture, helping to build the prestige that Tuscan wines enjoy today in Italy and around the world.”

“Frescobaldi was able to represent a great family tradition while always looking to the future and interpreting changes in the sector. His journey,” Busi continues, “leaves an important mark on the history of Tuscan and Italian wine.”

The president finally expressed, on behalf of the board of directors and the entire Consorzio Vino Chianti, condolences to the Frescobaldi family.