Famiglia Cotarella Winery
"Visionaries of Italian viticulture."
Renzo and Riccardo Cotarella
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Few other brothers have shaped the Italian wine scene as much as Renzo and Riccardo Cotarella. Over the course of time, they have created a significant family empire.
When brothers Antonio and Domenico Cotarella founded their winery in Monterubiaglio, Umbria, in the 1960s, it was hard to foresee what a success story the family would write. At the time, Umbria - like the whole of Italy - was largely insignificant in terms of viticulture. However, the brothers Renzo and Riccardo Cotarella were to change this for good. Renzo first became winemaker and later CEO of the entire Antinori empire, which he was instrumental in building up. Riccardo became the visionary of the family wineries, professor of viticulture and consultant to over 80 wineries worldwide.
Together, the brothers founded the Falesco winery in northern Lazio at the end of the 1970s. Their initial aim was to rescue and revitalise historical grape varieties. This is how they started the white wine tradition "Est! Est! Est!!!" white wine tradition in the form of "Poggio dei Gelsi" and gave the historic Roscetto grape variety a new form of expression. in 1993, the first "Montiano" was created, a single-varietal Merlot from a special clone selection, which became one of the most important red wines in Italy. Other wines and vineyards were gradually added, such as Marciliano south of Orvieto. Finally, in 2016, a generational change took place: Renzo and Riccardo's daughters Dominga, Marta and Enrica took over the family business. A short time later, the family was also able to establish itself in the Brunello di Montalcino appellation with the Le Macioche winery. Today, around 240 hectares of vines are planted in the vineyards of Cotarella.
photos: Famiglia Cotarella