Welcome to the special “20th Anniversary” section of Top Yacht Design. Here, day by day, we present the best stories, yachts, and personalities we’ve covered over the past 20 years of Top Yacht Design, from 2006 to today.
Taken from Top Yacht Design no. 40/2024, pp. 136-141.
Destination: ColleMassari
From the vineyard to the sea. This is the journey, along the route of excellence, of the Tuscan winery that, with a special label, celebrated Alinghi in the America’s Cup.
It all started with a vision, one that led Ernesto Bertarelli to transform his passion for sailing into something even grander. The dream became reality in 2003 when Alinghi succeeded in bringing the America’s Cup to Europe after an absence of 152 years. Another dream came true for Claudio Tipa (Ernesto’s unclee), when together with Maria Iris Bertarelli (Ernesto’s mother), he oversaw the foundation in the Maremma of the ColleMassari winery in 1998. Sea and grapes.
Wine and sailing. There’s a thread that creates close ties between these two worlds – passion. In 2024 this passion encouraged the winery to celebrate the return of Alinghi Red Bull racing team to the America’s Cup with a limited edition label dedicated to the Swiss challenge.
“For sail racing, just like producing wine, you need to be intensely aware of your environment, to watch the changing atmospheric conditions, take decisions in challenging situations and work with nature. All this is also reflected in the work of the wine grower”, says Claudio Tipa. Nature and human factors. Just as when under sail, only with the right combination of these two elements can successful results be obtained. ColleMassari Rosso Riserva DOC has become a symbol for the skills developed over 25 years by the Tuscan winery. Among its reds it boasts other significant labels like Rigoleto, Poggio Lombrone, alongside excellent whites like Irisse, Melacce and the Gróttolo rosé.
And it is the rosé, made from Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo and Montepulciano grapes, that was chosen for the limited edition wine celebrating the Alinghi Red Bull Racing Team. In the America’s Cup the race course, in combination with the weather conditions, plays a decisive role, and similarly in winemaking the nature of the “field” is of vital importance. For ColleMassari the “race course” , so to speak, covers 120 hectares.
The greatest share belongs, of course, to the native Sangiovese grape, accompanied by other varieties like Ciliegiolo, Montepulciano and Cabernet Sauvignon. For the whites the main grapes are Vermentino and Grechetto. The local soils, combined with wide temperature ranges and the influence of the sea on the local winds, create an ideal mix that that gives the ColleMassari wines their character and distinctive identity.
Not forgetting, of course, the work of human hands, helping improve production quality year after year, with an emphasis on sustainability. This commitment is also expressed through the winery’s design, created by the architect Edoardo Milesi. The structure, which covers over 6,000m’, is laid out over four levels. The red wines are aged according to type for between 10 and 24 months. Over a period of only 25 years ColleMassari has shown how a combination of vision, passion and respect for nature can lead to extraordinary results, discovering a natural affinity with sea and sail, two worlds linked by the same desire to excel.
by Matteo Zaccagnino
