From a small estate on Monte Cetona to an international family brand
What Altero Barbanera and his wife Maria began in 1938 in the Valdichiana was initially a manageable agricultural business: a piece of land on the slopes of Monte Cetona, about 60 kilometers southeast of Siena, just before the border with Umbria. The village of Piazze, a district of Cetona, is still the headquarters of the winery today. In the 1970s, brothers Marco and Paolo Barbanera, sons of the founders, took over the business and shaped it into a company active on the international market. Today, the fourth generation runs the winery — including Simona Barbanera, who has been managing operations since 2008. Four generations, one place, one credo: Il vino è il nostro sogno e la nostra realtà — wine is our dream and our reality.
Terroir, care in the vineyard, and environmental management
The vineyards are located on the hills around Cetona, on lime- and clay-rich soils with good southwest exposure. The Mediterranean climate of the 43rd parallel ensures long, even ripening; the altitude brings distinct day-night temperature differences, which give the grapes time to develop aromatics and freshness. In the vineyard, Barbanera works according to a rigorously agricultural-scientific method: yield regulation, careful grape selection before harvest, training in the Guyot and Cordon systems. The company sources electricity from renewable sources, adheres to guidelines for reducing consumption and emissions, and is ISO 14001 certified — the international standard for environmental management systems. In addition, Barbanera opened up another vineyard area on Monte Cetona in 2008 with the Vecciano estate, whose approximately 9 hectares are mainly planted with Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.
Tuscan classics, three clear lines, a wide-ranging assortment
The portfolio is divided into three clearly defined lines. The Collezione Famiglia Barbanera brings together the estate's flagship wines — the most prestigious and identity-defining bottlings from the best vineyards in the Cetona zone. The Barbanera line, launched in 2007, celebrates the family's more than eighty-year connection to wine and carries the family name as a brand. The third line, Duca di Saragnano, refers to a historical friendship between the Barbanera family and the holder of this noble title. At the core are the Tuscan classics: Chianti, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and Brunello di Montalcino — supplemented by Toscana IGT wines such as the Vecciano as well as collaborations with producers in Apulia and Sicily, where grape varieties such as Primitivo, Negroamaro, and Nero d'Avola have been incorporated into the range. The anniversary cuvée Gigino 80 Anniversario and the accessible 5/V Toscana Rosso show the range: from the celebratory commemorative bottling to the everyday Tuscan, which makes the family's craft tangible in an uncomplicated way.
