Insieme. Together.
Una storia di passione. A small Tuscan village with a church, castello and long history, embedded in a landscape which wine connoisseurs call “the bonbonniere of Tuscany”. That is Montenero d’Orcia.
When “i tedeschi” – the family from Germany – started to buy land in Montenero, this may have caused its almost 250 inhabitants to frown. These days they know that they share a lot: a love of the country, respect for the art of wine-making and a passion for the Sangiovese.
These similarities form the basis for the “Vinificazione”. The Kunert family cultivates their grapes and their passion together with Gianni Bartolommei and Jacopo Vagaggini. I tedeschi and gli italiani. Insieme. Together.
Manfred and Andreas Kunert are cousins, and that involves more than their relationship and a very traditional family company. They share the dream of owning their own vineyard.
What is special here: they never wanted simply to create a picturesque gem in Italy.
What drives them is their ambition to create an authentic, elegant, honest Sangiovese and perfect it year after year on good Tuscan soil, using traditional knowledge and modern methods.
Andreas and Manfred Kunert have received valuable support in satisfying this desire from their families.
Corina Kunert, the wife of Andreas Kunert, combines linguistic competence with business expertise. She is fluent in Italian and is responsible for all the correspondence with our Italian partners. For them, Corina Kunert is the real voice of Otto Ettari.
In Germany, Otto Ettari’s fortunes have close links with the in VINO VERITAS GbR. Andrea Kunert, the wife of Manfred Kunert, manages the German sales company and is responsible for the management of the logistics located in Wildflecken.
In this way, both pairs complement each other to form a perfect family business. In Italy they say: L’unità di una famiglia fa la sua felicità. How fortunate that is!
Gianni Bartolommei – Cantiniere
The winemaker family’s respect for the tradition of wine growing is immense as they realise their eight hectare dream. That is why they rely upon the knowledge and art of those who are familiar with the terroir. Gianni Bartolommei is a son of Montenero and an experienced cellar master. Since the very beginning he has accompanied Otto Ettari with his deep understanding of the soul of Sangiovese.
Dr. Jacopo Vagaggini – L’enologo
We are proud that we obtained the services of Dr. Jacopo Vagaggini, an emerging talent among Italian oenologists. WineMag wrote about him “you will probably still hear a lot more about him”.
Jacopo Vagaggini received his Ph.D. in biology from Oxford and then a degree in oenology from the University of Bordeaux. He has gained experience both in Europe and in Argentina.
Jacopo Vagaggini strives for the ideal of a modern, elegant wine which shows respect for and cultivates the unique identity of its terroir.
I Vagaggini have already reaped the first fruits for Otto Ettari. The Sangiovese 2015 was chosen in Milan by the “ilGolosario” among the 100 best participating Italian wines and discussed in the “giornale del Gusto”.
