page_title: Volpaia
section_title: The vitivinicultural vocation
hierarchical_section_title: Volpaia / The vitivinicultural vocation
caption_attribution_description: English: Men at work harvesting sangiovese in Volpaia
context_page_description: The winery that produces the wine Chianti Classico operates within the walls of the Castello di Volpaia, a fortified village of medieval origin. The first document in which the village was clearly mentioned was written at Cintoia, another small village about 12 miles south of Florence, on April 21, 1172. It notes that the brothers Franculus and Galfredus da Cintoia, after having obtained the consent of their father and of "Liquiritia, uxor Franculi", have obtained a loan of 28 silver pounds from Spinello da Montegrossoli. Their possessions, situated in the "court and castle of Vulpaio," were offered as security for repayment of the loan. The document was published by L. Pagliai in che Regesta Chartarum Italiae.
context_section_description: Throughout the numerous vicissitudes of the Castello di Volpaia, both the estate and the various families that successively owned it have always been closely involved in the viticultural development of the Chianti district. The estate, in any case, is located in the historic area where the tradition of Chianti wine originated. The development of that winemaking tradition was closely linked to the mezzadria (Sharecropping) system, which has left its imprint on the countryside–the scattered farmhouses that still exist and were inhabited by the sharecropping families.
  That Volpaia was a vitivinicultural center of special importance is confirmed by the fact that, unlike Brolio, Meleto and other Chianti-area castles, Volpaia is a terra murata, a walled village. There is considerable evidence that the decision to fortify Volpaia was due not only to military reasons but also and above all to the necessity of protecting the rural economy of the area, which was already devoted in the main to the growing of grapes and making of wines.
  The fortunes of the vitivinicultural economy of Volpaia improved markedly beginning in the 16th century as a result of the long period of peace that military stalemate imposed on Florence and Siena. In those happier times, the wines of the Chianti district were able to establish a reputation for goodness and quality not only in Italy but also throughout a vast swatch of Europe. The Volpaia area came to be known as the "viniferous well", a term cited by Emanuele Repetti in his Dizionario Storico Geografico della Toscana (Historical-Geographical Dictionary of Tuscany), which appeared in 1841.
  Fine wine is still produced on those hills, the Chianti Classico of the Castello di Volpaia. It is made in an area that has preserved intact its medieval and 15th century character, thanks to the restrictions on construction in the countryside imposed by the National Superintendency of Monuments. The winery is established in the underground vaults of the castle and of the Commenda. The bottling operation functions in a hall of a small patrician palace. The residential quarters in rustic medieval houses form an urban complex amid the vines, olives and forests of Chianti . Altogether, they constitute a monument, whether from an architectural or artistic point of view, to a remote culture. And the life and prosperity of that culture were based, as is still the case today, on the vines and wines of Chianti Classico.
caption: Harvest at Volpaia
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