The "Produttori Vini del Mugello" association is born to promote Apennine Pinot Noir

The Tuscan wine scene has gained a new associative reality. Provimu, an acronym for Produttori Vini Mugello, has been established. Currently, it brings together 17 businesses, still modest in numbers but with the added value of an area rich in natural and scenic beauty, aiming to promote its wine production, particularly Pinot Noir-based wines. The 17 member producers will soon become 20, with new entries imminent. The vineyard area covers 151 hectares, with 64 labels on the market and an average production of 192,000 bottles. Sandro Bettini, aged 51, has been elected president. He is the owner of the family business Rosss (which produces metal shelving) and of Fattoria di Cortevecchia, where the first Metodo Classico sparkling wine made in Mugello is produced.

Tuscany’s Pinot Noir

"This association," declared Eugenio Giani, governor of Tuscany, "is sending a strong message today: Mugello is also a land of viticulture, and Provimu has started a process of promoting wines that are gaining increasing recognition."

History tells us that beyond the monastic activities of the Middle Ages, viticulture was already present in these areas by 1465: in San Piero a Sieve, the Cafaggiolo estate belonged to Lorenzo the Magnificent. Furthermore, in the 1500s, records from the Badia del Buonsollazzo, located between Polcanto, Vaglia, and Monte Senario, mention the production and sale of wine and oil.

This is not an area suited for Sangiovese, but rather for Pinot Noir, which has been cultivated with good results since the 1990s. However, the vineyards also host Rebo and Teroldego from Trentino, Merlot, Malvasia, and Trebbiano, as well as Chardonnay, Riesling, and Traminer.

The association’s debut in May

"Before Provimu," recalled President Bettini, "there was the Associazione Produttori Pinot Nero dell’Appennino Toscano, but the risk of overlap is only partial. That organisation covers a broader area, extending across the entire Tuscan Apennine arc, while we focus more specifically on our territory and all our wines, even though we acknowledge Pinot Noir's prominence."

The association’s statute outlines its objectives:

• Improve product quality
• Preserve soil fertility
• Promote ethical agriculture
• Protect the territory
• Participate in industry events

The official debut is scheduled for May 18, with Appenninia 2025, an event to be held in Pianvallico, inside Spazio Brizzolari. However, public collective appearances are already planned:

• March 1 in Scandicci, at Borgo DiVino
• March 15 in Florence, at Officina Creativa in Il Conventino

Research on clones

In collaboration with the University of Florence, Provimu is focusing on varietal and clonal experimentation of grapes to identify those best suited to Mugello’s characteristics. The region aims to establish itself as a recognized wine-growing area.

A trial winemaking cellar is also planned, aimed at creating a database with "useful information to guide those wishing to plant vineyards on where, at what altitude, with which clones, and how to vinify." A suitable location has already been identified in Borgo San Lorenzo.

The members

The association covers the area south of the Apennine passes, extending to Dicomano, Londa, and Pontassieve, with vineyards reaching up to 1,000 metres in altitude.

The Tuscany Region, which presented the initiative, listed some of the Provimu members, including:

• Tenuta di Monteloro (Marchesi Antinori)
• Fratini
• Romignano
• Fratelli Morolli
• Bacco dal Monte
• Borgo Macereto
• Fattoria di Cortevecchia
• Fattoria Il Lago
• Fattoria San Leolino
• I Carri
• I Veroni
• Malvante
• Querceto di Baraccani
• Tenuta Baccanella
• Tenuta Frascole
• Tenuta Matteraia
• Terre Alte di Pietramala