Tuscany is one of the most historic wine terroirs of Italy, and the wine culture here dates back many centuries. It is said that Leonardo da Vinci’s father raved about a glass of Frescobaldi. That was in 1480. Today many noble families – Frescobaldi, Antinori, and Ricasoli to name a few – continue to produce wine in Tuscany, their wine knowledge passing down generations.

But Tuscan wine doesn’t only originate from these historic estates. There are also those who came here not so long ago, fell in love with this amazing terroir and began making wine. Brancaia is such a winery. Owned by the Swiss family Widmer since 1981, it is now successfully managed by winemaker Barbara Widmer. Barbara, together with her team, vinifies a range of fine, terroir-typical wines with strikingly modern labels.

As is common in winemaking, especially in the early years of a new winery, Brancaia has improved its knowledge of the terroir and honed its winemaking skills with the help of local consultants. These experts help make all kinds of decisions: from where to plant the grapes, how best to cultivate them, when to harvest, what equipment to invest in, vinification processes, and even which kind of blends to create. Sometimes, with good fortune, these relationships take on a deeper meaning, forging a lifelong bond between mentor and protégé.

Enter legendary Tuscan wine consultant Carlo Ferrini, who has worked for Brancaia since 1992. A serial winemaker of the year award-winner, the Tuscan-born specialist began his career working for the Chianti Classico’s growers’ association, later becoming a consultant for over 100 Italian wineries, from small producers to leading brands.

“When I took over the day-to-day business, Carlo helped me to find the way from theory to practice, to learn step by step and finally to find my own way,” recalls Barbara, who joined her family in the winery in 1998. “With his open and sensitive manner, he accompanied me on this path and will hopefully continue to do so for many years to come.”

Carlo agrees. “With Barbara I have a wonderful relationship that has lasted a long time. Over the course of these long years we have had the opportunity to talk at length about many things, to learn more and more about our objectives especially regarding the creation of wines close to our sensations. Both for the wines of Brancaia in Chianti Classico and for the wines of Maremma.”

It helps that Barbara and Carlo share a common goal, have respect for one another, and have maintained clear divisions in their roles. Carlo, for instance, is not and has never been responsible for product development. So when Barbara started developing the concept for a Maremma blend, Carlo deferred to her vision. It was Barbara who conceived all aspects of the new wine; it is her expression of Bracaia’s coastal terroir. Her idea was to create something very different from Il Blu, the estate’s renowned wine from its home in the forests of Chianti. Carlo encouraged Barbara’s vision during the exploration of trial blends. And in 2002, he supported her, saying that they were ready to launch the first Ilatraia wine.

In the logical fashion those close to Barbara know her for, she enumerates first the quantifiable benefits of the relationship. “The strength of an external consultant like Carlo is that in his role he brings the professional view from outside,” she offers. “Through him we have acquired knowledge about techniques, products and machinery without having to buy and try everything ourselves. Considering that most tests in the wine industry take at least five years to get a serious result, this is a very important point.” She adds the personal at the end of her summary: “Of course, over the years we have developed a close friendship that is very important to both of us.”

I asked Barbara what was and is the most important lesson that she learned from her mentor. “Carlo certainly instilled in me this pursuit of absolute elegance in a wine,” she admits. “The perfect harmony of grape variety, terroir and vintage, which can only be achieved with the perfectly ripe grape. Carlo loves to say that the three most important things in a wine are elegance, elegance and elegance.”