Tenuta di Trinoro: Like Father, Like Son

© Vini Franchetti
| The estate makes wine in both Tuscany and Sicily, but neither Benjamin nor his father had much time for native varieties.

When Andrea Franchetti, founder of Tuscan estate Tenuta di Trinoro, sadly died in December last year the tributes were unanimous, describing as a “non-conformist, pioneer, and visionary”.

Before his death, Franchetti passed control to his son, Benjamin. Carrying a heavy burden of responsibility, the engineer-turned winemaker talked about his plans for the family business.

Were you indoctrinated into the wine business from an early age?

[Laughs] Yes and no. I grew up Rome, although my father wanted us to spend most weekends with him in Tuscany, after he acquired Tenuta di Trinoro in the 1980s. It all started after he visited Saint-Émilion; dad decided to plant some Bordeaux varieties at his estate in the Val d’Orcia, southern Tuscany, in 1992. Andrea was very excited about the project – as a teenager, I was less than thrilled about leaving Rome for the countryside. So I wouldn’t say the wine bug hit early on in my formative years.

What happened next?

I moved to the UK in 2005 to study engineering at Imperial College London. I was in no rush to enter the “real world”, so I also completed a PhD and became involved in research at the Department of Sustainable Engineering. After spending a year in the US, I moved back to London and helped to create a start-up company, focusing on turbines. However, my father’s wine career had helped to spark my growing interest in using engineering to enhance agricultural processes and technological development. So I founded Agricola Moderna in 2018.

Are you still heavily involved in the company?

Definitely – despite the upheaval of my father’s death. Based in Milan, Agricola Moderna is a vertical farming company that controls every aspect of the agricultural process – humidity, light exposure, soil health – to grow superior quality vegetables in a sustainable environment. Urban farming offers a viable solution to climate change. We now sell our products in [supermarket chain] Carrefour and are planning to expand our facilities.

So is it fair to say that your father’s death essentially fast-tracked your involvement in Vini Franchetti?

Well, I had taken a more active role in the business since 2016. I became a member of the management board, contributing ideas and driving our strategic vision in the 21st Century. The truth is that irrespective of his illness, Andrea had decided to step back from the day-to-day management several years ago; he wanted his team to steer the wineries, relying on their considerable expertise. He told us in 2019 that he had been diagnosed with a serious condition, and so we made plans for the final transition.

The wine industry is notorious for intergenerational squabbles and the thorny issue of power transference – how smooth was the transition?

Honestly, it has been very straightforward. As I said, my father wasn’t an autocrat – he saw his job as nurturing emerging talent, preparing our team for the great responsibility of producing world-class wines at our estates in Sicily and Tuscany. There have been no eruptions.

Nevertheless, your life must have been turned upside down?

Of course, we all miss my father greatly. I’m naturally spending a lot more time in Tuscany since I became president, and I do wish to implement some changes going forward. Yet, like Andrea, I view my role as film director – we’ve assembled a crack team and now I need to let them get on with what they do best, providing support and direction when needed.

© Vini Franchetti
| The late Andrea Franchetti was described as a non-conformist, pioneer, and visionary

Tell us more about the changes you have planned?

Ultimately, I want to maintain my father’s vision of supreme quality as the end goal. But I don’t mind admitting that, as a business, we do need to focus more on the commercial side of things. I think we need to do a better job at communicating our wines. To that end, I’m debating whether we should consolidate some of our labels.  Also, our signature Tuscan wine, Tenuta di Trinoro, will now be aged for an additional year before release.

In terms of expansion, we market a small amount of Semillon white and I’d like to potentially acquire some land to produce more. However, finding the right terroir for white wines in Tuscany is not easy. We’re also exploring the possibility of making Verdicchio – watch this space.

Your father once told me that “Cabernet Franc is now substituting the role of Cabernet Sauvignon as the prime red grape for Italy.” Do you agree?

Yes I do. It thrives in the terroir; it produces superior wine; it contributes amazing freshness and vigor, even in hot years. The last vintage of Tenuta di Trinoro that contained any Cabernet Sauvignon was 2017; we’ve been using less and less. I want to continue my father’s tradition of thinking outside the box. We need to focus on the right international varieties for the climate and soils of Tuscany.

Can you elaborate?

There is a presumption that the “right” variety must be the indigenous grape of the region. Andrea strongly disagreed; the correct variety is simply the one that responds to the terroir with razor-sharp precision, offering a sense of place and superior quality wines. Cabernet Franc in the Val d’Orcia is a classic example of this. My father also believed that Chardonnay and Sicily were made for each other – he really disliked the native white grapes such as Carricante. The fact that Chardonnay is not indigenous to the island was irrelevant in his eyes.

Would you ever considering making Brunello di Montalcino?

I don’t think so. I must admit – my father was not a massive fan of Sangiovese, either.

Do you plan to use your engineering expertise to make changes to the viticulture in Tuscany and Sicily?

Yes absolutely. I’ll give you an example: our vineyards are situated in the lowest end of the valley, at the foot of an extinct volcano. Due to global warming, the budding is typically starting earlier and earlier; however, the volcano provides a ready supply of cold air that clings to the bottom of the valley floor. The risk of frost devastating our crop is becoming a real headache – we expend considerable resources in filling the vineyards with candles, to stop a significant drop in yield. My idea is to use industrial fans as a more cost-effective solution.

Andrea was a man of strong opinions and convictions – who were his heroes?

He admired and respected top producers of Nebbiolo like Conterno. I share that respect.

Since you took on this role,  has free time become a precious commodity?

Yes indeed! I’ve recently become a father to a baby girl; I’m very grateful that Andrea had a chance to meet her, before he died. But I love music and literature and have every intention of keeping those passions alive.