Gorgona
Tuscany, Italy
Gorgona wines grow on a small island in the Tuscan archipelago that historically housed monks and hermits. Though that history sounds similar to any number of winegrowing regions today, Gorgona is unique among them all not for its terroir – though the island is stunning – but for its farmers.
The island became an experimental penal colony for the kingdom of Italy in the 19th century, essentially an open-air prison and farm. The prisoners can move freely on the grounds and tend to agricultural work, the idea being that they learn a trade in order to reintegrate into society after serving their sentence. The Frescobaldi family’s viticulturists and oenologists have worked with the inmates since 2012, expanding the vineyard in 2015. It now measures two hectares and grows two wines, a red and a white.
Wines
Gorgona
Costa Toscana IGT
A blend of Vermentino and Ansonica from a vineyard planted in a small amphitheater overlooking the sea, protected from the various winds that buffet the island. The Frescobaldi family’s oenologists and viticulturists have worked with the inmates on the penal colony since 2012 to tend the vines and make the wines, teaching them a valuable trade to ease their reintegration to society.
