In the heart of the Casentino Valley, this is the story of Federico—and of a wine that speaks of home, courage, and second chances.
Some stories are born in silence, far from the spotlight. They are stories of people who one day feel the need to change course, to return to something more genuine. This is the story of Federico, who in a small corner of Casentino found in the vine the truest way to begin again.
It all started in 2017, during a period in his life when an evening run had become a way to find balance, to clear his mind after work. One of those evenings, almost without realizing it, he arrived at a place he didn’t know: a small plot of land, bathed in the golden light of sunset, surrounded by silence. “My legs brought me there,” he recalls, “but mostly something inside did.”
From that moment on, that land became an obsession. Every time he passed by, he felt more and more certain that it was waiting for him. After several attempts, he managed to speak with the owner. “Why do you want this land so badly, Federico?” the man asked.
“Because I want to plant a vineyard,” he replied. “I feel that my wine must be born here.”
The owner was moved — his grandfather, also named Federico, had once grown vines on that very same land. It was too beautiful a coincidence to ignore. So the land changed hands — or perhaps simply returned home. And in that intertwining of names, destinies, and passions, Podere Sofia was born.
At first, the land was a dense forest. Federico began to clear it, slowly and respectfully, aware that to give life to his dream, he would inevitably have to take something away. The thought haunted him every day: “Am I doing the right thing?”
Then, one day while working, he stopped. In front of him stood a majestic tree, whose branches, seen from below, formed a perfect cross. Federico dropped his tools and fell silent. In that moment, he understood he should go no further. That tree was a sign — a boundary, a message. He sketched it on a piece of paper, to preserve the emotion. Since then, that tree has become the symbol of Podere Sofia, the logo that carries its story. And even today, it stands above the vineyard like a silent guardian.
In 2019, Federico planted 3,000 square meters of vines, densely spaced, divided between Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, and Malvasia. Between 2020 and 2021, he built the cellar himself — stone by stone, using the rocks of the land. It was a kind of karmic labor, a way to expel pain and be reborn.
The first vintage, 2021, was born almost as an experiment, but something unexpected happened at its debut at Gusto dei Guidi 2023: within a few hours, every bottle was gone. “I only had 400,” he laughs. “That night I opened 31. I was so moved… seeing the line of people in front of me, hearing them speak my wine’s name. It was like a dream.”
You can still feel that dream today — every gesture of Federico’s radiates pure passion.
Now, Podere Sofia is a small, silent winery where everything breathes balance and authenticity. Federico welcomes visitors under a breezy portico overlooking the vineyards. Everything here moves to a slow, intimate, almost sacred rhythm. It’s in this atmosphere that our tasting of the 2023 vintage begins.
The Sauvignon Blanc he pours is a small miracle of delicacy: only two rows in the vineyard, just 250 bottles. Hand destemming, 12 hours of cold maceration, slow fermentation in steel at low temperature, no filtration. In the glass, it’s pale straw yellow, with crystalline aromas starting with a balsamic touch of wild mint, then jasmine, acacia, and field daisies. As it opens, fruit emerges—white peach, mango, green pineapple, and lime zest. The finish is saline, echoing sage and sea spray.
On the palate, the citrus acidity vibrates like lime, while a subtle, persistent sapidity stretches the sip with grace. A wine that tastes of purity and silence—like the breath of the earth that birthed it.
Then comes the surprise: an Orange Malvasia, not yet bottled, drawn directly from the terracotta amphora. Six months of skin contact, no sulfites, no temperature control. In the glass it glows bright gold, with aromas of propolis, resin, dried orange peel, candied citrus, and ginger. The taste is soft and enveloping, with hints of grey tea and a saline finish. It doesn’t speak — it whispers, and it does so with moving grace.
The reds arrive next, carrying the strength of the land. Rossancherona — 85% Syrah and 15% Merlot, only 450 bottles — is born from spontaneous fermentation in steel, three daily punch-downs, no temperature control, and 18 months in barrique. Deep ruby, floral notes of rose and chrysanthemum give way to Syrah’s signature spice — clove, Sichuan pepper — leading to a close of cherry jelly, carob, and bay leaf. On the palate, it’s pure balance: acidity and tannin dance together in a savory, persistent finish of cherry and dried fruit.
And finally, the wine everyone in Casentino talks about: Podere Sofia, pure Syrah.
Only 750 bottles, 14.5% alcohol, vinified and aged like Rossancherona, but everything here is amplified. Impenetrable ruby color, aromas of dark fruit — cassis, mulberry, wild cherry — with balsamic notes of licorice root and laurel. Then it opens into elegant varietal tones: olive paste, black pepper, and a trail of blond tobacco. A Syrah reminiscent of the purest Hermitage, yet with a Tuscan soul — honest, luminous, authentic.
On the palate it’s velvety, with tannins perfectly integrated into a vibrant acidity; sapid and lingering on notes of cocoa and cherry, like the memory of a Boero chocolate. It’s a wine that stays with you — like a caress.
During the tasting, Federico tells me that his bottles can only be found in a few restaurants in Italy and in four corners of the world. “I like to share my wine only with those who make the journey up here,” he says. “With those who travel this dirt road to meet me, to understand. Wine is family, it’s love, it’s sacrifice. Sometimes, it’s salvation.”
Listening to him, I feel a warmth behind my eyes. I realize his wine is not only the fruit of the land, but of an inner rebirth. It is blood, effort, and pain transformed into beauty.
When you leave Podere Sofia, something lingers between the vines and the Casentino wind. A few weeks later, Federico writes me an email with the technical details of his wines, closing with a sentence I’ll never forget: “Thank you also on behalf of Podere Sofia — my vines absorbed so much positive energy that Sunday morning… who knows what beautiful grapes they’ll produce, and you’ll be in every cluster.”
Maybe 2025 won’t need me to create masterpieces, but I like to believe a fragment of my energy stayed there, among those rows.
Because drinking a wine like this means coming into contact with a true story, with an emotion that intoxicates both the one who creates it and the one who drinks it.
It’s a simple thought, but it reveals the soul of this winery — a place that holds the echo of those who cross its path, as if the earth itself knew how to recognize good energies and keep them safe among its vines.
