MICHELANGELO, CHIANTI, AND THE GREEK ARTIST
Where art and wine converge, great things can happen! These two concepts have a long history of collaboration, where the labels that adorn wine bottles become a canvas of artistic expression. But let's start from scratch...
Back in 1981, Peter Femfert and his wife Stefania Canali bought the Nittardi Tower and its vineyards, located on the border of the Siena and Florence regions. Known since 1183, as "The Nectar of God" or "Nectar Dei", it was the defense tower of the wider area. The particularity of the building lies in the fact that in the 16th century, it belonged to the great master artist and poet of the Renaissance Michelangelo, who was a decisive factor in the development of Western art. After completing his difficult work on the Sistina Cappella, at the permanent residence of Pope Paul III in the Vatican, he gave him a gift of respect. The nectar of the gods! A bottle of wine from the grapes of the vineyard that surrounded the tower. And that's where it all started...
Today, the famous Fattoria Nittardi winery has 40 hectares of vineyards in the Chianti Classico wine-growing region of Tuscany and has gained immense recognition for its exceptional wines made with dedication and passion. In honor of tradition, each year the first bottles of the top wine Nectar Dei are presented to the Pope, while as a tribute to Michelangelo, the estate transcends the realms of traditional winemaking and embraces the artistic spirit, beyond boundaries. The Casanuova di Nittardi wine label, for 39 years, has been chosen to be decorated by the works of well-known artists. Valerio Adami, Mimmo Paladino, Corneille, Yoko Ono, Dario Fo, Gunter Grass, and Mikis Theodorakis are some of the people who left their artistic mark in the Nittardi cellar. Every year the wine receives accolades from wine critics and global competitions, while the great vision of incorporating art into the labels and wrapping of the bottles has enhanced the overall experience of enjoying it, combining the visual with the gustatory!
In 2020, on the occasion of the celebration of its 40 years of operation, the winery opens up the scissor of visual charm and organizes for the first time in history an international open competition, Premio Nittardi! Hundreds of artists of different styles and social groups take part in it and in the end, only 6 win, whose works will become the collectible labels that will decorate the bottles of the winery's "ruby" anniversary vintage.
Among those who will receive this special distinction, is an 11-year-old child, Andreas Floudas. Yes, that's right, the name is Greek. His paintings "Per Edoardo" and "Wine Stages" are among those that make an impression and will decorate the "Chianti Classico 2020"! The success of little Andreas is the product of his undeniable talent combined with his love for painting, but also of the context in which he managed to make such a "lifelong dream" (as he says) come true. The catalyst for such a talent to flourish seems to be the DNA of the new artist since it is definitely wine! With father Giorgos Flouda, oenologist and co-owner of the well-known wine import company Trinity Wines, and mother the resourceful Tina Papasinou, oenologist and wine education lecturer, it seems that destiny is running away from the impossible and the future is bright.
Pride is given for the small artistic diamond of the great wine family, who has the honor of traveling with his works to the places of the giants of art and leaving his mark on the wine world!
Christina Tsogka
