Villa Cafaggio dates back to hundreds of years ago, when the property was named "Cahago", which means "enclosed, cultivated field".

According to historical documents, hundreds of years later, in the 15th century, vines still flourished on the estate under the ownership of Benedictine monks from Siena. Afterwards, the property had various owners, as the distinguished Florentine family Nicholini. Subsequently it was sold to the Santa Maria Nuova Hospital of Florence. During this long period the property produced a great variety of foodstuffs, among which oil and wine.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Cafaggio passed to the Boddi family and in the late 1960s, the Farkas family bought it as a country house. In 1967 the property was in a terrible state of decay, so the family set about restoring the wine cellars and replanting the vineyards and olive groves.

Only one vineyard remained intact at that time: Solatio Basilica. This vineyard has been replanted with new, accurately selected vines that now produce a very special Chianti Classico Riserva. In the late 1960s and early 1970s Stefano Farkas also restored Cafaggio's San Martino vineyard, located below the ancient church of San Martino in Cecione, replanting more than 20 hectares of vines, primarily with Tuscan Sangiovese and some Sangiovese Grosso.

In 1986, Stefano Farkas planted 4,000 Cabernet Sauvignon vines (from two different clones), grafted on 22-year-old Tuscan Canaiolo, followed by additional plantings (from a third French clone of Cabernet Sauvignon) in 1991 and 1995. Following a lot of research and experimentation, these vines now produce the Supertoscano Cortaccio.

Stefano Farkas, a passionate and hard-working researcher, in 1991 also replanted 5 hectares of new vines with special Sangiovese clones on American rootstock. Then he replanted 15 hectares in 1998 and 2 hectares in 1999. Following the "Chianti Classico 2000" programme, Stefano identified and extensively planted the optimum Sangiovese clones for this particular region.

Thanks to the shared enthusiasm and to the precious know-how concerning the specific sectors of this activity, Villa Cafaggio wines are well known and appreciated all over the world.

Since the spring of 2005, Villa Cafaggio has been under the control of Cantina La-Vis e Valle di Cembra, which together with the Girelli family is working to implement a new strategy, injecting fresh new ideas and investment in Villa Cafaggio. Minute attention to detail is employed throughout every stage of the production process; from the moment the grapes are picked, to the moment the wine leaves the winery. Villa Cafaggio is seeking to establish itself as a niche producer of Chianti Classico. Characterised by its terroir and destinctive wine style, Villa Cafaggio provides a srong proposotion to a wide variety of different markets.

Villa Cafaggio covers an area of 60 hectares. It lies in the "Conca d'oro" of Panzano, the best production area of Chianti Classico. The specialised vineyards cover 30 hectares, approximately 85% of which are Sangiovese and the remaining 15% are Cabernet Sauvignon. Recently Stefano planted 3 hectares of French Merlot.

In Villa Cafaggio we have done a great job not only with the vineyards, but we have also invested heavily in making Villa Cafaggio a technologically advanced winery with the best state-of-the-art equipment.

The wine cellar holds about 7000 hl, about 2300 hl of which are casks, 1000 hl barriques and the rest fermentation tanks.

Ancient tradition and the favourable geographical position of Villa Cafaggio are not the only factors that determine the absolute quality of its world famous wines.

The winemaking philosophy at Villa Cafaggio can be summarised in the following sentence: all stages of production, from soil preparation for planting the vines, to ageing in bottles, are carried out with the utmost attention to detail.

Assuming this principle as a rule of thumb, it is possible to reach a high degree of perfection. Indeed, the results depend on a fine balance. The quality of the end product is based on sensory nuances that make the difference between an excellent wine and a wine of superior quality.

Villa Cafaggio has been leading an intensive programme over the years to replant the oldest vines. In this process, soil preparation is fundamental to create a favourable setting for a correct vine growing (and consequently for the production of perfect bunches). To reach this important result it is necessary to invest heavily in terms of time, personnel and equipment.

First of all the soil is dug deeply to soften it. Then the big stones are extracted, while the small ones are left in the soil "mixture" to help water absorption. Finally, efficient drainage systems are created to prevent the vineyards, located on the hillsides, from being "washed", without absorbing the quantity of water necessary for their grouth.

Despite a great commitment to the wine making process, Stefano Farkas firmly believes that great red wines are made in the vineyard rather than in the winery. It is for this reason that he personally supervises every delicate stage preceding harvest.

Clones are selected following meticulous field research and testing, so that the clones chosen for every variety suit the geographical position, exposure to the sun and altitude of the vineyard.

Vineyards have 5000-7200 stems per hectare, so that the yield of every single vine is reduced, thus achieving higher quality. The vines are pruned so as to leave a certain number of buds, in order to control the production. The cordon is approximately 50 cm high to increase the quantity of polyphenols in the bunches.

At the beginning of August, during the veraison, the "green harvest" takes place: six to ten bunches are left on every vine, according to the grape variety, and the foliage is thinned to help aeration. This step is fundamental, since if the yield is considerably reduced (only 1 kg of grape per vine), the final quality of wine is considerably higher.

Harvest represents the crowning glory of the work carried out in the vineyard. This very delicate stage in the winemaking process is a moment of great satisfaction if the right result is achieved. As the well-known professor Glorie at the Bordeaux University says "the most important thing in winemaking is what you bring to the cellar: perfectly mature and concentrated grapes .........."

Following these principles, grapes are harvested exclusively by hand. Every vineyard is examined many times in order to harvest only perfectly mature bunches of grapes.

The essential ingredients of excellent winemaking are: a well-equipped and organised cellar, great expertise, and the meticulous attention to every detail. These are the necessary requirements to ensure that the winemaking process is carried out in the best possible way, thus maintaining the impeccable standards expressed in the previous stages of production, in order to achieve a high quality end product.

During fermentation, the temperature is constantly controlled, in order to keep it under 30°C.

The wines ferment for approximately 7 days with an additional 7 to 15 days maceration, according to the type of product.

Ageing takes place in the fermentation area, so that wine flows into the specific containers only thanks to the force of gravity.

Villa Cafaggio is equipped with wooden casks and barriques of the best quality, selected specifically to suit the wine they will contain, in order to exalt all its qualities. The ageing time ranges from 12 months in Slavonian oak casks for Chianti Classico to 18 months for Chianti Classico Riserva and the Supertuscan wines.

The bottling, the last stage of production, is carried out with great care. Then the bottles are stored in metal racks in a temperature controlled environment at maximum 15° C. All the rooms where wine is stored, i.e. the fermentation room, tun room, cask room or warehouse, are thermoconditionned.

All the Villa Cafaggio products complete their maturity in the bottle. This stage is also very important, since the wine, after the bottle shock, recovers and acquires a soft, yet rich and well structured flavour on the palate.