I first met the Conti Capponi in the Spring of 1997, a year that turned out to be the greatest vintage ever for not just Italian Wine in Italy, but it was so remarkable that it was a great vintage for all of the best and most prestigious wine region in the World. The vintage was outstanding in Bordeaux, burgundy, Champagne, The Napa Valley, in Austria and Germany, in Piedmont, Montalcino, Campania, Tuscany (Chianti, Brunello), and the entire World. This was the year I made my first big wine trip to Italy, were I met Count Sebastiano Capponi and his brother Nicolo Capponi, and Giovanni Manetti of Fontodi in Panzano, who produced top notch Chianti and Super Tuscan Wines as well.
I was in the process of opening the first Venetian WIne Bar (Bacaro), ever to exist in The United States, along with my partner in the venture, Tom T. I had conceived the idea after reading an article on Venice that mentioned the Bacari (Venetian Wine Bars) in the piece in The New York Times Travel Section. I got all hopped up reading the article, and made plans to go to Venice and investigate in the Spring of 1995. I booked a flight to Venice, and was on my way. Over the course of 8 days, I went into
Every Bacaro in Venice, eating Cichetti and drinking local wine, along with other wines of the Italian Peninsula. I studied the Bacari (Wine Bars) and how each of them did things : what types of cichetti they had, and how they served them, the wine lists, decor, and every little detail involved in each separate wine bar. I took notes, both mentally and in my notebook. I learned quite a lot, and was armed with the knowledge to set my plan in motion.
I made a business plan for the Bacaro that I wanted to open in New York. I met Tom T. at an event at the players club in New York. It was a Black Tie Event, honoring comedian / actress Carroll Burnett. It was quite the event. I met Tom, and we took a liking to each other, and somehow my plans to open a Venetian Wine Bar in New York came up. Tom loved the idea, and said, “Let’s get together and talk about this further,” and so we did. We decided to open the place together, and so this was how one-thing-lead-to-the other, and we ended up being invited to Villa Calcinaia to meet the two Italian Counts, The Conti Capponi, Sebastiano and Nicolo Capponi, aka Conti Capponi.
The meeting was arranged by our friend Olga, who knew the two Noblemen Flroentine Brothers, Sebastiano and Nicola. Olga had a camera shop, just feet away from the famed Ponte Vecchia Bridge of Florence, and was just a block away from The Palazzo Capponi on the other side of the bridge from Olga Shop. A few months before Tom and his girlfriend Kate were in FLorence and met Olga when they went into her store to buy some film. They struck up a conversation and became friends. And so once, it happened that Tom and I were going to open a Venetian Wine Bar, and we were all taking another trip to Italy to do business, and explore more about Italian Food & Wine, restaurant, and wine bars, Olga told Tom about the Conti Capponi who owned Villa Calcinaia, and if we wanted to visit their wine estate in Greve, the Villa Calcianaia. And so we did.
Another friend of ours in New York, Jean Franco who was from Florence and was the Maitre’d at our favorite Italian Restaurant “Novita,” was friends with the owner of Fontodi WIne Estate in Panzano, where Jean Franco arrange a meeting for us to meet Mr. Manetti, and visit the Fontodi Wine Estate.
At the time we went on this trip, I didn’t know any proprietors of wine estates in Italy. Once I opened Bar Cichetti, and the Italian Wine Community saw what I was doing, they all wanted to meet me, to taste their wines, and visit their wine estates, any time I desired. This was wonderful and quite a revelation. Anyway, lets go to the day in question. The day we dined with the Conti Capponi.
It was arrange that we would meet one of the brothers, Nicola Capponi at The Palazzo Capponi adjacent to The Ponte Vecchio. Olga went inside to look for Nicola. A few minutes later, out came Olga with the Conti Cappone Nicola. She introduced him to Tom, Maurat, and I. “How do you do,” said Nicola Capponi as we shook hands. He had an aristocratic English accent. I felt as though I was meeting Prince Charles. We had two cars. Maurat went in the Fiat Panda with Nicola. We had a driver, and Tom, Olga, and myself were in the Mercedes with driver, following Nicola in the Fiant down to the town of Greve in Chianti, and to the Villa Calcinaia, the Capponi’s family wine estate, that had been producing wine in Greve for almost 500 years.
We left Florence, we hopped onto the SR222 ancient road, the Chiantigiana and made our way to Chianti Classico and The Villa Calcinaia in Greve. The ride was enchanting, arriving into the beautiful rolling hills of Chianti, dotted with Castles, stone farm houses, and a patchwork of Sangiovese Grape Vines, row after row, Olive Groves,Cypress Trees, and other local flora. Seeing the rows of Grape Vines and Olive Trees, I was in seventh heaven. For this is one of the most beautiful spots in all of Gods Good Earth.
We turned off the main road and onto the driveway leading up to the Villa. Again I was astonished as the drive, just like you see in the movies, was lined with Great Cypress Trees on both sides of the driveway. It was incredible.
We arrived at Villa Calcinaia, and again I was astonished. It was beautiful, old, and grand. Outside, Nicola’s brother Sebastiano was waiting for us. Olga made the introductions, and so I met Sebastiano Capponi. What an honored. I have known Sebastiano for almost 25 years now, seeing him many times in New York and at the Villa Calcinaia as well. We went inside, at the doorway that lead into the kitchen where there was an open hearth fire, and the cook (a lady) was cooking, and preparing our meal. Wow?
Nicola took us on a tour of the Villa , first leading us down the hall, he said “This is Alibaba,” as he led us into the room were large Terracotta Urns were filled with Olive Oil from the Capponi Estate. Nice. Nicola took us into another room, and said, “This is ou 300 year old Mother.” The mother being a gelatinous film that you pour wine over to turn it into vinegar. And the Capponi’s have one that has been kept alive for 300 years. Needless to say, their Chianti Wine Vinegar is amazing. We would try some letter when we’d have lunch with the two Counts.
After seeing the Olive Oil Urns (Alibaba) and the 300 Year Old Mothers, Nicola took us into the room where a couple tons of Trebbiano Grapes were hanging on slats to dry out, to make Tuscany’s famed Vin Santo Wine. Villa Calcinaia’s is one of Tuscany’s best, and we just love it.
We were then led into a room with many large Slovenian Oak Cask filled with aging Sangiovese for making Chianti wine. Nicola is quite theatrical, and he didn’t disappoint telling a dramatic story, and telling us about the CHianti and the Wine Theif he used to take some wine out of the large oak cask for us to taste. “Wow,” this was my first time doing what si know in the wine world as a “Barrel Sampl,” tasting wine that is aging in wooden cask out of the barrel to see how they taste at any particular time during the aging process. And I was doing it at a renowned Chianti Wine Estate, being served by the Noble Conti Capponi Nicola. I couldn’t believe my great fortune. Again, “I was in 7th Heaven”
After touring the Villa Calcinaia Cellars, Nicola took us outside to show us the Herb Garden and some Sangiovese Vines, and Olive Tree Groves of the estate. Again, “Wow”
We then went back inside the castle and were led into the dining room. “Wow, Wow, & Wow? I was going to have lunch with the two Noble Brothers, the Conti Capponi, Sebastiano and Nicola. We all sat down at a beautiful table in the dining room. The lunch was wonderful, drinking several vintages of Capponi Chianti, as we dined on a lovely Antipasto Misti of homemade Salami, Tuscan Pecorino, Olives, and Crostini Toscano. We drank the most recent vintage Chianti of Villa Calcainaia. After the antipasto, we had Pici Pomodoro (Pasta w/ Tomato Sauce), and drank more Chianti.
The main course was a delicious Roast Chicken with Potatoes, and Chianti Reserva that was absolutely wonderful. We finished the meal with Villa Calcinaaia Vin Santo and Biscotti, that was one of the most magnificent pairings imaginable. “Wow? What a meal?” , Needless to say, “It was the most memorable meals of my entire life. One I shall never forget. Thank Goodness I do have one nice picture of the meal. It is of me, in the dining room of Villa Calcinaia. “I wish I had more.” Thank God I do have at least that one.
We finished lunch, thanked the brothers for such a wonderful time, and we bid then adieu. We hopped in the car, and made our way to Panzano. We’d meet Giovanni Manetti, nibble on Salami, and taste their amazing wines. The wines of Fontodi : Chianti, Chianti “Vigne del Sorbo,” Flaccinella, and Vin Santo.
“What a day?”
Daniel Bellino Zwicke
January 1, 2025
Daniel Bellino Zwicke 