Q&A: Albiera Antinori, President, Marchesi Antinori

The Antinori family has maintained a balance between heritage and modernity for over six centuries. How do you personally approach the challenge of innovating within a deeply traditional winemaking framework?

Our story is a family story that began in 1385, when Giovanni di Piero Antinori joined the Florentine winemakers' guild. Since then, for over twenty-seven generations, someone in our family has been fully dedicated to wine. Innovation, for us, has never meant breaking with tradition: it is a way of keeping it alive. The Antinori Chianti Classico winery reflects this harmony between past and present - respectful of the Tuscan landscape yet entirely contemporary. We explore how new techniques or varietals can best express the character of each terroir. Every estate has vineyards dedicated to research and experimentation, where we test new clones, fermentation methods, and ageing approaches to refine our wines - not to make them modern, but to make them more authentic. Innovation, for us, is a way of protecting identity, not replacing it.

Sustainability has become a central focus for producers globally. Could you elaborate on how the Antinori estates are integrating environmental stewardship into vineyard management, and how these practices influence both the style and quality of the wines?

Sustainability is not a choice but a responsibility. We are not owners of the land but its guardians, preserving its vitality for the generations that will follow. Wine is a living expression of nature and people, shaped by soil and time. We practice precision viticulture using tools such as Vitibot robots, multispectral drones, and weather stations to support careful, sustainable work in the vineyards. Technology helps, but human intuition remains essential. Great wines require patience and respect for nature's rhythm: that is the essence of true sustainability.

Many markets have shown increasing interest in lighter reds, alternative varietals, and more expressive wines. How does Antinori interpret these shifts in consumer preference without compromising the signature identity of your wines?

Markets evolve, and we must remain attentive to change. The growing preference for lighter, fresher, and more expressive wines has encouraged us to highlight these traits where they naturally exist in our vineyards and wines. Each grape and terroir speaks its own language, and we aim to express that faithfully. Yet we never follow trends for their own sake; what defines an Antinori wine is harmony, elegance, and authenticity. We adapt thoughtfully, ensuring evolution never comes at the expense of identity.

As a globally recognised brand, Antinori faces both the opportunities and pressures of international markets and falling consumption. What strategies are in place to strengthen Antinori's presence worldwide?

The wine world is facing a delicate phase: consumption is slowing, and adaptation is essential. No sector enjoys eternal growth, yet wine will endure if it evolves with its time. We focus on quality over quantity, strengthening historic markets while expanding into emerging ones in Asia and Africa. Our path forward is authenticity, responsibility, and sharing Italy's culture of beauty and artisanal craftsmanship. After twenty-seven generations, endurance - not speed - remains our true measure of success.