Organic and sustainability practices sit at the heart of Caprilla’s principles.
The undulating hills of Tuscany are home to some of the world’s greatest wines. Historically, winemaking in Tuscany dates back to about the 8th century BC when Etruscans successfully cultivated wine grapes and stored wine in jugs called ‘amphora’. Many centuries later, in 1716, Chianti was in fact the first geographic wine appellation recognised in the world.
Our own story though began about ten years ago when our founder Priya zeroed in on Tuscany to further her winemaking passion. The vineyards lie near the village of Trequanda, about half an hour from Siena – and bordering the three main wine regions of Tuscany – Chianti, Montepulciano, and Montalcino.
With the rich experience and winemaking expertise of Fabio and Lucia, we started our wine journey with a Rosé wine from Sangiovese grapes which was sold entirely to the local Tuscan market. When this became a huge hit, we decided to expand our portfolio to white and red wine blends, and Caprilla was born.
The name ‘Caprilla’ comes from the Italian word ‘capriolo’ named after the herd of deer that live in our estate: their distinctive antlers are the inspiration behind our logo.
Organic and sustainability practices sit at the heart of Caprilla’s principles.
Our grapes are 100% organic certified and we follow traditional winemaking practices with minimal intervention to produce the most authentic expression of the wine of the region.
Wine is a complex drink – a good glass of wine from an old vine will exhibit myriad layers of aromas and taste characteristics that come from years of assimilation from the terroir and is unique to the landscape.
This is why, we believe that wine is not just a drink, it’s an experience and with our wines, we hope to transport you to the hills of Tuscany.
Our vineyards are located amidst the rolling hills in Central Tuscany, about half an hour away from Siena, near a beautiful medieval village called Trequanda.
Our wines are produced with a minimum impact on the environment, using only natural products to fight against vineyard pests and green manure to enrich the soil. Grass grows perennially all over the vineyards and helps maintain the bio-diversity including insects that further assist in fighting pests.
Sangiovese, Merlot, Chardonnay, and other regional grapes are cultivated in our thirty-year-old vineyards. The soil is rocky, mainly tufa stone, sandy tending to clay, and the vineyards are positioned at an altitude of 450m above sea level, perfect for preserving wine freshness and fruitiness.
The grapes are harvested by hand at the end of September. The winemaking process follows traditional methods, like spontaneous fermentations made by wild yeasts. Ageing takes place in stainless steel tanks for our white wine and rosé, or in tonneaux (French oak barrels) for our red wine. The level of sulfites is maintained very low. The character and taste of our wines are deeply classical and respectful of the great tradition of Tuscan winemaking.
With a background in engineering and an MBA from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Priya’s foray into winemaking was born out of her deep passion for wine appreciation and her love for ‘all things Italian’.
Priya has lived and worked in Hong Kong and London before formalising her love for wine with an array of courses in viticulture and wine studies. She has a Wine Level 3 certification (Merit) from WSET and Italian Wine Scholar certification (with Highest Honours) from the Wine Scholar Guild. In 2020, she founded The Wine Space Ltd that offers extensive wine services in London – including tasting courses, curated wine box service, and bespoke wine consultancy. During the pandemic, she extended these services to include virtual tasting sessions that were a huge hit with the Asian audience.
Priya is passionate about organic farming and sustainability which sits at the core of Caprilla’s ethos. Her particular area of interest is wine blends: experimenting with different grapes and creating perfect blends. Her dog Bruno (named after the famous Brunello wine) shares her love of vineyard exploration and helps with some natural pest control by chasing the creepy crawlies in his free time.
Born and raised in hectic Milano, Lucia soon understood her dream was to live a country life, surrounded by nature. After graduating at the reputed Università di Milano in “Viticoltura e Enologia”, her experience started in Montalcino working on the greatest expression of Sangiovese grapes: Brunello. Later on, she moved to the Chianti area and started her own project with native varieties such as Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Fogliatonda, Trebbiano, and Malvasia.
Lucia has a special taste for classic wines and traditional interpretations of the “terroir”. She truly believes that the hardest work must be done in the vineyards, and the mission of the winemaker is just to preserve that quality that has been reached through it.
Kitesurfing is her great passion, leading her to travel the world and meet new passionate people.
Fabio has always been surrounded by vineyards, growing up in Valtellina, an alpine area in the north of Italy, close to Switzerland, where the steep slopes of the valley are covered with terraces of Nebbiolo grapes.
With a background in the food industry, Fabio soon realised that his true passion was in the wine industry. His decision to become a winemaker started with attending the university of “Vititcoltura e Enologia” in Milano. After working on Nebbiolo grapes in both Piemonte and Valtellina, he moved to Tuscany to face a new challenge with Sangiovese. He is now a consultant for several organic wineries, and the director of one of the biggest cellars in the area, in Val di Chiana.
Fabio’s experience in organic farming and natural winemaking processes are fundamental to understand the style of his wines.
Food and wine lover, he enjoys sharing them in good company. Fabio is also an excellent sportsman, especially when surrounded by the beauty of his native environment: the Alps.