FLORENCE. Marquis Vittorio Frescobaldi, among the entrepreneurs who marked the history of Tuscan wine and contributed to its success on international markets, has died in Florence at the age of 97.
His passing last night closes a long season of Italian viticulture, one that between the second half of the twentieth century and the 2000s saw Tuscany strengthen its role among the great wine regions of the world. Vittorio Frescobaldi leaves behind his wife Bona and children Fiammetta, Angelica, Lamberto, and Diana. Born in Florence on November 30, 1928, Frescobaldi belonged to the thirty-first generation of the family, whose connection with wine production dates back to the Middle Ages, and over the centuries Frescobaldi Vini has been the supplier to the royal court of England, popes, and great noble families, starting with the Florentine Medici. After graduating in agriculture in 1953 from the University of Florence, he joined the family business, eventually taking its helm alongside his brothers Ferdinando and Leonardo.
It was during the years of his management that the historic Florentine company accelerated its growth path, with a strategy aimed at enhancing the different souls of Tuscan viticulture and, above all, conquering foreign markets. A transition that also accompanied the transformation of Italian wine from a product predominantly linked to national consumption to an internationally recognized and sought-after excellence. Among the initiatives destined to leave their mark is the one launched in 1995 in Montalcino with the American entrepreneur Robert Mondavi. From this collaboration, Tenuta Luce was born, a project that combines different skills and traditions and became one of the most well-known names of the new season of Tuscan wine.
Over the years, the Frescobaldi world also expanded its presence in some of the region’s most prestigious territories, from Montalcino to Bolgheri, consolidating a portfolio of estates and denominations destined to strengthen the group’s international positioning. An entrepreneur, but also a guardian of a family history deeply intertwined with that of Florence, Frescobaldi represented the meeting point between a centuries-old tradition and a modern conception of the wine business. His journey unfolded in an era of profound changes for the sector, during which quality, investments, and the ability to look beyond Italian borders became decisive elements for the competitiveness of Italian wine. In recent years, he had progressively passed the baton to the new generation.
The leadership of the company had passed to his son Lamberto, while Vittorio had maintained a reference role for the family and the wine world. Vittorio and Bona Frescobaldi were very close to the royal house of Windsor, hosting the then Prince Charles of England several times in their Tuscan residences.
The memory of Stefania Saccardi
«The passing of Vittorio Frescobaldi represents a great loss for Tuscany, for the world of agriculture and wine, and for our entire country. With him, a great protagonist of the agricultural and wine history of Tuscany and beyond departs». So said the president of the Regional Council of Tuscany, Stefania Saccardi. «To Vittorio Frescobaldi, we owe the decisive contribution to the growth and enhancement of our viticulture on international markets thanks to his long entrepreneurial activity and his profound knowledge of the land. Thus, he was able to accompany a centuries-old family history into modernity, with the merit of innovating without ever losing the connection with the territories, their identities, and the agricultural culture of our region. As president of the Regional Council of Tuscany, and also in light of my previous commitment as regional councilor for agriculture, I wish to express my most sincere condolences to the Frescobaldi family, to his loved ones, and to all those who shared a long professional and human journey with him. To the family, I extend my closeness and that of the Regional Council of Tuscany».
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