It’s no secret that we’ve been crushing hard on Italy lately. Tuscany has long been a classic destination for our clients, but our recent visit for the harvest tops the list of unique experiences had while traveling this summer.
Being long-time partners and friends with the team at Il Borro, we were invited to join the Il Borro team for this year’s harvest. We joined California-based Katie Frederick of Ever After Honeymoons alongside Dallas-based Taylor Madison and Angie Dickson of The Simple Sol for this very special experience.
Il Borro, owned and managed by Ferruccio Ferragamo for the past 25-years, made the visit even more memorable with its strong sense of community and family. A few years after acquiring the hotel and completing extensive renovations, attention was shifted to the vineyards. Since launching the Il Borro label in 1999, the property and its vintages have continued to gain notoriety under the guidance of Ferruccio’s son, Salvatore Ferragamo. Long famous for their iconic Italian fashion house, the attention-to-detail in all they do is evident throughout the 1700-acre grounds, too.
Nestled in the heart of Tuscany, Il Borro guests enjoy the comforts of a modern hotel (think: air-conditioning, espresso machines and bathrooms outfitted with Salvatore Ferragamo toiletries) married with the authenticity they crave when visiting this region. Hands-on involvement in the day-to-day activities throughout the estate vineyard by Salvatore Ferragamo — like the use of eco-friendly fertilizer for the vines — remains one of the most impressive aspects of this Relais & Châteaux property. So, we were thrilled to be able to chat with Salvatore about how his passion for wine contributes to conserving the beauty and integrity of Il Borro.
“I feel in producing wine you have to commit to quality and creativity… every vintage has its own personality and is expressed in a different way according with the different wines we produce.” – Salvatore Ferragamo
Producing great vintages calls upon a skill set not so different from creating a beautiful runway collection. Salvatore shared the Ferragamo perspective on how these two art forms are intertwined. “I feel in producing wine you have to commit to quality and creativity, much like in the fashion industry. At Il Borro, we work with nature – and fortunately, we don’t have to present a new collection every six months! – but every vintage has its own personality and is expressed in a different way according with the different wines we produce.
Much like fashion, producing wines is also a very detail-oriented and technical craft; as we have very interesting [organic] practices, like the release of predictor insects, stinging nettle infusion, horse-powered farming or the technical advances of our fiber optic sorter to select our best grapes. We’re proud to have a gravity fed winery and a unique selection of the best Barique in the market to age our wines.”
created by dji camera
Being invited for the harvest was a true honor for our team and we loved how familial the entire experience felt. Just before we left, Salvatore expressed, “I think guests may be surprised to know how the harvesting of grapes [in a very informal setting] with our vineyard lunch can actually be a truly authentic experience filled with a great sense of accomplishment. I feel it’s a celebration to have guests participate in the harvest and to know that vintage, even if in a small part, they participated to its creation. It’s a special experience.”
Contact your SmartFlyer advisor today to chat about your trip to Il Borro.
Erina Pindar 
