During Anteprima di Toscana 2023 we visited Cantine Dei, a leading producer of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Caterina Dei continues the legacy begun by her grandfather, Alibrando Dei, who acquired land in Montepulciano in 1964 to plan his first vineyard called Bossona. In 1985, the family released its first bottle of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.
Caterina’s father, Glauco Dei, was a renowned architect who followed in his father’s footsteps and oversaw expansion and the addition of more vineyards. At age 80 he realized his vision to build a winery of travertine marble (a family business), which is the current Cantine Dei. It is a stunning example of his architectural talents as you can see in these photos.
A nautilus – shaped staircase descends to Cantine Dei’s wine cellar.
Initially Caterina intended to be a professional musician and chanteuse. You can hear her songs through a special link on the Cantine Dei website. But the music of the vines and the desire to carry on her family legacy lured her back to Cantine Dei where she grew up and where she now oversees wine production with her enologist, Paolo Caciorgna.
Cantine Dei’s barrel room
Caterina was devoted to her late father and has dedicated one of Cantine Dei’s cru wines, Madonna Della Querce, to his memory. The label’s name is an homage to the church bear the winery where her parents were married. It is a limited production, and we were delighted to be able to taste several vintages of Madonna Della Querce – 2015 through 2018- as part of a comparative tasting with Cantine Dei’s other signature cru wine, Bossona. Both showed the elegance of the wines of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano which, as their name implies, were the treasured by the nobility throughout history. In 1685 the Italian poet, Francesco Redi praised Vino Nobile di Montepulciano as “the king of all wines.”
Selections from our vertical tasting of Madonna Della Querce and Bossona at Cantine Dei
Caterina Dei
Listen to our conversation with Caterina Dei on The Connected Table LIVE!