Salvatore Ferragamo is the namesake and grandson of the iconic Italian fashion brand’s founder. Since 1993, he has worked alongside his father, Ferruccio, in the wine and hospitality business of Il Borro, centered around the Ferragamo family estate in Tuscany. A graduate of NYU’s Stern School of Business, Ferragamo is the co-founder and board member of the Valdarno di Sopra DOC and the Brand Ambassador for Relais & Chateaux on behalf of Il Borro.
I recently attended the debut of Il Borro’s inaugural production of Brunello Montalcino under the Pinino label at the Ferragamo store on Manhattan’s 5th Avenue. Equally impressed by the wine and Mr. Ferragamo, we arranged a time to speak by phone to discuss his work, on behalf of his family, in the wine and hospitality sectors.
What can you tell us about the property of Il Borro?
We have many elements that make Il Borro a truly special place. Not only the 1,000 year old Medieval village, on a Tuscan hilltop, transformed into a chateau hamlet with refined suites and villas, restaurants and a spa, but also the fact that the property is a sustainable farm that organically produces wine, extra virgin olive oil, poultry, eggs, and cheese available to our guests in a farm to table manner. The property also includes the opportunity for many sports, including horseback riding. The hamlet is also home to many local artisans who welcome guests into their shops.
And there are some other nearby properties that are part of Il Borro Hospitality, yes?
Yes, we have other properties in the area, all of which are managed by myself and my sister Vittoria. The newest is Viesca, a Renaissance estate that was very dear to my grandmother, Wanda. It is located in the Tuscan countryside and has been renovated into a luxury property with six villas, a family cottage and 17 suites.
And there is i Borrigiani, very close to the main property, where we have renovated three farmhouses into modern accommodations in the style of agriturismo.
Speaking of the area, can you tell us about your somewhat hidden gem of a location in Tuscany?
We're in a part of Tuscany that is quite interesting. We are between Florence and Arezzo in this beautiful valley, the Valdarno, which is crossed by the River Arno and bordered by the central Appenine Mountains.
What makes this area unique for wine making?
The area is part of the Chianti Aretini DOCG and Chianti Superiore DOCG, though we don’t make a Chianti because we are in a part of Tuscany where the Chianti DOCG is particularly weak. No great wines ever come out of these two DOCGs, so 20 years ago, with 20 other producers, we joined together in deciding to make other wines under the Valdarno di Sopra DOC.
We agreed on two principal concepts. One is making wines organically produced a law, which is very important. And second, we decided to take a unique approach of our terroir, so we’re making wines according to what nature indicates is the best way of producing grapes. In the valley, we have the right bank of the river and the left bank. We have very different growing conditions, from rocky, sandy, clayish and gravely, types of soils. We have north-facing vineyards and south-facing ones. And according to that, based on the respective terroir, we have different producers who make different wines, according to their growing philosophy.
You have 12 different labels at Il Borro, using an array of varietals, with the reds falling under the Super Tuscan IGT. Of these, I find the use of Syrah grapes to be the most interesting. What inspired the use of Syrah?
We're in a part of Tuscany where Syrah does super well. We're at the foot of Appenine Mountain range, where there is this gravely type of soil, which is perfect to produce wonderful Syrah. We have very warm days and cool nights. Those are the bedrocks of Syrah. The gravely soil maintains their heat at night, and this is very important to get Syrah to reach full maturity. But also at the same time, we have fantastic elements of this terroir that impart a fruit forwardness but also spice that makes it special.
I’m also curious about your Chardonnay. How did this come about?
This is something that funnily enough came from one of my trips in Asia. I tried a fantastic Chablis on that trip, and I thought, “Well, why don't I think of doing something like this?” So, we came up with a Tuscan Chardonnay, only stainless steel, no oak. We share the same kind of terroir as Chablis. This makes sense since the Valdarno used to be part of the sea. We're still finding fossilized shells. So, we are very similar to what Chablis has in terms of the soil. We're making this wonderful wine called Lamelle that actually has three elements which are quite rare: It's Tuscan; it's Chardonnay, and it's organic. It's proven to be very, very successful.
And now you are producing a Brunello…
Yes. We have just debuted our first vintage of Brunello di Montalcino. Last July, we purchased the Pinino Estate on a property that dates back to 1870, so there is a bit of history there. It was one of the founding estates of the DOCG, in one of the most advantageous locations. We changed the labels to give it a new look, and we are in the process now of slowly renewing the oak that we have in the cellar. We have three Brunello variations and one Rosso di Montacino.
Are your wines from Il Borro and Pinino readily available in the United States?
Yes, we ship about 30% of our wines to the US, and we have a team based here who work with our distributors. We also have a wine club you and your readers can join.
Don’t mind if I do!
