Riccardo Olivi talks about the winery “Le Buche”

Between the Val d’Orcia and the Val di Chiana there is the winery  “Le Buche” where among the many types  of grape varieties they cultivate Sangiovese and the rare ancient Pugnitello

On the fifth stop of my journey of discovery of the”faces” of Orcia wine I reach the territory which creates the border between the areas of the Val d’Orcia and Val di Chiana where there is the medieval town of Sarteano. Outside the walls that surround the town there are numerous traces of the presence of the Etruscans, the ancient people that dominated this area . immersed in this beautiful scenery rich in history where nature is still intact you can find the winery “Le Buche” belonging to Mr. Giuseppe Olivi and his son Riccardo.

The sun is high in a clear sky when I follow a long white dirt road which takes me to this splendid estate where the work of  grape harvesting is being done. Riccardo with his wife Daniela comes out of the office to tell me his story. He said:

“In 1996 my father and I decided to buy the Podere “le Buche”, (the holes) a name which refers to the Etruscan tombs found here. That’s why we have an Etruscan urn as our logo. In 1990 my parents had already renovated Podere Sovana, a group of farm house which they turned into holiday accommodation about 4 km from the winery. Similarly the Wine Resort and Spa managed by my wife was established. In the year 2000 with the help of our consultant oenologists and agronomists we decided to design  our vineyards planting a wide selection of grape varieties: Merlot, Cabernet, Sirah, Petit Verdot, Sangiovese, Trebbiano, Verdicchio, Sauvignon Blanc and Vionier plus “Pugnitello which is used as a single grape variety to make wine and is very rare. It was almost extinct and produces small bunches of grapes, smaller than a fist, that’s the origin of the name “little fist”.

The first vintage was in 2005 and our first three wines came out in 2008 at VInitaly: “Le Buche”, “”Memento” and “Tempore”, then we added two white wines “Coreno” and “Orhora” then a rosé and some other red wines:Primaio, Chianti Superiore and Pugnitello. Recently we have produced a new selection of red wines made from a single grape variety called “I Puri” and last but not least a new Brut Rosé Zelia.

Should I describe Orcia Doc wine in two words I’d say it was full of love and tradition. Love because we dedicate ourselves with passion to the work in the vineyard so as to produce excellent grapes. These are then selected one by one and drop from above to the lower vats for fermenting naturally with no added yeasts. Tradition because it is produced from Sangiovese, the local Tuscan grape variety and is aged in large oak barrels.

The musical genre I’d associate to our Orcia wine is golden jazz. This music is relaxing but at the same time harmonious, it reminds me our white Orcia doc “Coreno”. The perfect mix for a relaxing aperitif.”

“Wine is a compound of humour and light” (Galileo Galilei)

WATCH THE VIDEO OF THE WINERY OLIVI-LE BUCHE

Visita alla cantina Orcia Olivi Le Buche di Sarteano

Visita la cantina Orcia Doc Olivi-Le Buche tra la Val d’Orcia e la Val di Chiana, dove tra le tante varietà di vitigni si coltiva il Sangiovese e il raro e antico Pugnitello