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“Today under the Dievole brand there’s more than Dievole itself. It’s a sort of holding company that includes various other companies, including Olio di Dievole, and some recent acquisitions in Montalcino and Bolgheri“.

Stefano Capurzo, director of the Bulgheroni group in Tuscany, explains that the company based in Vagliagli – Castelnuovo Berardenga, that was taken over in 2013 by Argentine oil tycoon Alejandro Bulgheroni, it’s a world in itself.

The company has recently refurbished its hospitality and catering facilities to a high standard, and a great part of its activities are in the olive oil sector.

“We’re lucky that the owner – explains Capurzo – whose main business interests are in the crude oil industry, decided to diversify his activities, looking to agriculture and wine production. This is a very important message for the market and for those who work in the company”.

Bulgheroni started by creating a group that now has cellars in Argentina (even in the depth of Patagonia) and Uruguay. Then in Italy, when he acquired Dievole in 2013.

“The owner was selling the company that was in some kind of trouble – Capurzo says – and Bulgheroni fell in love with the place. But he also knew, after getting an opinion from the consultant Alberto Antonini, his great potential in the agricultural sector”.

“That’s how it all started – continues Capurzo – and now Dievole is going back to its origins, in line with the tradition of the Chianti Classico territory. A key element is embracing the organic approach in all the companies. This is our ethical production process. We are also focusing on using only local grapes: the Dievole brand doesn’t produce wines mixing international grape varieties, but only using Sangiovese, Colorino and Canaiolo. We forego steel barrels and instead we’re bringing back cement barrels, an essential part of Chianti’s production history. For the aging of the wine we’re using the traditional Tuscan barrels, and abandoning the barriques”.

“These are the basic principles that were brought from the Chianti Classico to the companies recently acquired in Montalcino (43 hectares of Brunello) and Bolgheri. Here Bulgheroni has just bought half of the Argentiera hill and, with a total of 97 hectares, will be one of the area’s major players”.

“But let’s talk about the olive oil production– says Capurzo – a sector that many companies consider a problem more than an opportunity”.

“Dievole, thanks to the new ownership, is treading a simple path. The company owns some olive groves in the Chianti Classico territory – explains Capurzo – plus some other IGP olive groves. It has acquired some in Southern Italy (Basilicata and Apulia), and in this case the olives are worked directly there or brought to Tuscany”.

Olive oil which is 100% Italian, Italian coratina, Dop Chianti Classico, these are some of Dievole’s top products “for a broad spectrum of trade – concludes Capurzo – whose base is right here in Pianella, where we have an ultra modern olive mill”.

Matteo Giusti is in charge of technical operations, and Francesco Marcocci of the olive oil marketing. Dievole follows an agronomic, entrepreneurial and market-driven path.

And from an expert’s point of view, this is something worth underlining.

 

Matteo Pucci

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