Let's discover the Stefania Calugi brand: here is our interview

Tenuta Prima Pietra is the result of a story of great passion. Owned by Massimo Ferragamo, also owner of the Castiglion del Bosco estate, since 2002, Prima Pietra is basically the realization of a dream.
If you were born in Tuscany, you have a passion for wine in your blood, which is why Massimo Ferragamo could not resist this innate instinct.
The estate is located a few kilometers from the sea, in Riparbella, on the southern slopes of Poggio San Nocola. Here the mountain is characterized by Mediterranean scrub, with precious vineyards and olive groves. The richness of these lands is due to iron and the clay components of which the soil is full of, elements that give the wine important characteristics in terms of aroma and complexity. The soil, very deep, constitutes a fundamental water reserve for maturation in the driest months.
The vineyards are in a privileged position, facing the coast, flooded with full light all day long and sheltered from the cold easterly winds. The highest part, a Merlot vineyard, reaches 450 meters above sea level and is the highest vineyard on the Tuscan coast. It is all these characteristics and the sea breezes that determine the aromas and the slow maturation of the grapes.
So, here are the distinctive elements of Tenuta Prima Pietra: terrain, exposure and altitude. And not only that, because since 2016 the company has acquired organic certification.

Tenuta Prima Pietra, of course, also boasts a winery followed by Cecilia Leoneschi, a passionate and precise oenologist. For Cecilia, great wines are made in the vineyard, and this is why every grape is treated with great attention. It is from this care that wines are then born that are in perfect line with the company philosophy and with the terroir of origin.
In the cellar, the selection that took place in the vineyard is perfected and the fermentation of the grapes is managed separately for each variety, thus preserving aromas and fragrances.
Prima Pietra is a guarantee that is the result of the perfect mix of complexity and elegance of the varieties, as well as the great potential of its territory.

We like these artisans, these producers of unique, certified and award-winning delicacies: they are real treasures embedded in our Peninsula between seas and mountains and in the most remote streets of villages and countryside. We don't stop to experience only their products, but we want to discover more closely the protagonists of this brand. That's why we sent some questions to those who manage communication with us.

Stay with us and get to know Tenuta Prima Pietra: read the answers!

• Who are we talking to?
  Ugo Fabbri, Italian Brand Ambassador and Sales Representative of Tenuta Prima Pietra
  
• Is the company family run? What year was the company founded and who was the founder?
  The company was bought by Massimo Ferragamo in 2002.
  
• Who was the founder and what was his training or what is the branch of work and professional from which he came if different from the current one?
  It was Massimo and Chiara Ferragamo who bought the company. Coming from the world of fashion, Massimo Ferragamo is the president of Salvatore Ferragamo USA, he was immediately joined by the oenologist Cecilia Leoneschi.
  
• What is the real reason or the triggering fact behind the birth of this company and when did it happen?
  Massimo Ferragamo has always had a strong desire to become part of the world of wine. Being born in Tuscany, this passion is in his blood. In 2002, visiting the Tuscan coast, famous for its fine wines, in search of the ideal place to create his blend, he found this estate, in Riparbella, on the highest hill, because great wines come from great heights. Elegance, attention to detail and quality, refined simplicity and connection with the territory are the distinctive features of Prima Pietra.
  
• What is your relationship with the land of origin and its typicality? And why do you want to tell them with your products?
  The relationship with the land of origin and its typicality is very strong. Prima Pietra is “complexity and elegance”, a wine that is the fruit of the great potential of the territory from which it comes. Thanks to the altitude of the vineyards, it expresses great freshness and verticality. The proportions of the blend mirror the distribution in the vineyard and may fluctuate slightly depending on the harvest of the year.
  
• What was the first product you created?
  Prima Pietra: 50% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot
  
• What is the product that today, on the other hand, do you consider “top”?
  We produce only one wine: Prima Pietra.
  
• And what is the product that in the entire history of the company has most carried with it the beating heart, philosophy and soul of the company itself?
  Always First Stone
  
• Let's talk about today: how big has the company grown since its inception? Can we get some numbers?
  The Tenuta Prima Pietra property extends on a hill overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea below and covers 200 beautiful hectares, 11 of which are dedicated to the vineyard - Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot - the rest are covered by forest. The Estate's vineyard is the highest on the entire Tuscan coast and is located 450 meters above sea level. The company has expanded its internal organization, since 2017 work has started on the old farmhouse of the estate, which since 2018 houses the winery, where we vinify the wine, and also our Wine Shop, a place where we host all the people who want to come and visit the company and where we offer visits and tastings, but also cooking lessons followed by the tasting of our wines. Since 2002, the team that works at Tenuta Prima Pietra has also grown a lot and now includes a well-structured and close-knit team, from sales to marketing, from production to vineyards to Wine Hospitality.
  
• Right now: more tradition or more innovation?
  I would say tradition, but with a strong innovative drive.
  
• What was the most important evolution of the company to get it to what it is today?
  The great work in the vineyard: the people who work there together with the oenologist Cecilia Leoneschi know the vines perfectly, observe their characteristics on a daily basis and operate in a diversified way according to the requests of each individual vine.
  
• Speaking instead of the future: what tomorrow will the company wait for? Are there any changes or some new evolutionary process planned?
  We are working on our vineyards, new varieties will be introduced, but we cannot reveal more.
  
• Are you planning to create new products?
  We are considering many possibilities, but at the moment we are still 100% dedicated to Prima Pietra. We also have another very niche product, a special wine with a very limited production, which, however, is dedicated only to members of our Wine Club.
  
• Having focused on Spaghetti
  S&M