"Women must work twice as hard in the wine world. Work, but without battles." Story of a young winemaker from Chianti Classico

Terre di Montefili was born under the sign of a series of encounters and common goals. Nicola Marzovilla, Frank Bynum, and Tom Peck Jr. are three American friends who, in 2015, purchased a historic property in Chianti Classico, leaving it in the hands of the vision and skill of Serena Gusmeri, agronomist and winemaker. "At first, I felt a lot of responsibility: a very beautiful historic estate bought by three Americans and entrusted to me. Not exactly an easy start." And yet, hers is a success story all in the feminine world of wine. "Knowing the environment, the vineyards, the territory, and the uniqueness of Sangiovese. This was my vision and what I asked of the property. The material to create excellent wines was there, but a key to interpretation had to be found."

New York, Campania, and Tuscany

"My career path started in Franciacorta and then continued in Benevento. Nicola was my importer in New York, and we had known each other for several years. Coincidentally, in 2015, my husband moved to Castelnuovo di Berardenga for work, and he commuted weekly between Tuscany and Campania. We wanted a family, and since he had followed me to Benevento, I wanted to balance things out by finding a Tuscan estate to work in."

Fate played a hand in everything. Nicola called her, announcing his stay in Ischia for his 25th wedding anniversary with his wife. A fortuitous phone call, because Serena explained her new plans, and a few months later, a proposal arrived. "In March, he called me back and asked me to stop in Tuscany before going to Vinitaly. Together we visited the Terre di Montefili property, and he said to me, 'I think this is the right place, but we trust you. You decide.' At that point - I admit - I reluctantly left southern Italy and moved to Tuscany, to Panzano."

A white wine maker in Chianti Classico

Change of residence, but also a change in approach to wine, after Lombard sparkling wines and Campania whites, Serena measures herself with Tuscan reds. "I had never made red wine in my life before coming to Montefili. In Ischia, I cultivated Biancolella and Forastera, and in Benevento, Fiano, Greco, Falanghina, and Coda di Volpe. I was born a white wine maker, and I will die a white wine maker."

The winery is located on a panoramic hill at 540 meters above sea level, and the plots are arranged all around. Twelve and a half hectares in total, one and a half of Cabernet Sauvignon, the rest Sangiovese. "When I arrived here, I found a company with great potential but needed care. Together with the owners, we accepted the challenge of bringing it back to life starting from the vineyards." From the first harvest, she chose to harvest and vinify all the plots separately. A production philosophy that will remain in the following years. "For me, it's a way to protect the identity of each individual vineyard story." Serena goes further, focusing everything on environmental knowledge and biodiversity.

"We are organic, but not certified. I was asked by the property if acquiring organic certification could be a good move. I, very honestly, replied that if they wanted it, I would get it, but I added that I had a different proposal. My heart lies in the vineyard in the sense that I find the technical part important, but it's really nice to understand where it walks and where it stands. Year after year, we started sampling wildflowers and vineyard insects because they provide us with information about the health of the land."

A woman of wine

As for her female leadership, Serena has no doubts: "I have lived my being a woman with absolute serenity and not as a battle to be fought with a knife between my teeth. However, I have also been fortunate: in the company, I immediately found a very human dynamic. Now I have the duty to allow new generations of women to approach this work, to do internships, to make my experience available." There is still work to be done in this regard, as anecdotes speak of unedifying numbers. "There aren't many of us doing this job. In Panzano, I am the only female technician managing the company. We had a Christmas dinner among the agronomists of Chianti Classico, invited by our vineyard product supplier, and among the 52 present, 11 were women and the rest all men. I was also the youngest. It is clear that you have to work twice as hard as men in this sector, but you have to live it well. It is clear that going to prune at 21 with a group of men from Brescia was not exactly poetry, but even there you have to maintain your identity, experiencing it as lightly as possible."

The future and Vinitaly

The next stop for 2024 is Vinitaly, with the new vintages released in early March, including the latest label born: the Vigna Nel Bosco 2019 "a selection from the highest vineyard of the company located in the Additional Geographic Unit (UGA) of Montefioralle". Furthermore, the iconic Bruno di Rocca IGT Toscana 2016, a Supertuscan of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese, will be relaunched.
Since 2015, the owners, together with winemaker Serena Gusmeri, have strategically decided to dedicate 50% of the wine production to aging to assess its evolution over time and identify the best time in the life of the products. "I am particularly attached to this vintage because my daughter was born on September 21st. I returned home from the hospital on September 25th, and on the 28th, we started harvesting. The 2016 vintage has a sentimental aspect beyond being an excellent vintage of great elegance and finesse."