COURAGE
VISION
PATIENCE

From the initial plantings in the early 2000s, the courage, vision and patience of Sandro and Filippo Chia have brought Tenuta Ghiaccio Forte to life.

The courage to venture into Tuscany’s Maremma - a timeless borderland where vineyards have traced the curves of history, where trade, culture, and viticulture have walked hand in hand for millennia.

The vision to listen to the wild, ancient soul that lies between forested mountains and the boundless sea.

The patience to hear - the soil, the seasons, each vineyard’s unique expression.

A MILLENIUM OF EXISTENCE

Ghiaccio Forte is a solitary hill that rises on the plains of southern Maremma where an Etruscan settlement founded in 6th century BC once stood.

This fortified stronghold guarded the crossroads that united Central and Southern Italy and its remains are still visible not far from where the winery is located. The Albegna was once a navigable river that facilitated access to the borderland, making Maremma an unavoidable stop for maritime trade between the northern and southern Mediterranean, Greece and Italy, and the southern coasts of France and Spain.

Archaeological remains show that the Etruscans were a flourishing civilization that practiced specialized agriculture. Chalices and amphorae (displayed at the Museo della Vite e del Vino in Scansano) are evidence of a culture that was bound to oil and wine, both of which would become distinctive products of this land after the Roman conquest in 280 BC.

A RETURN TO VITICULTURE

At the turn of the new millennium, the Chia family contributed to the viticultural renaissance by planting traditional varieties, such as Sangiovese, alongside international ones, like Syrah and Petit Verdot.

In 2019, they acquired an old vineyard of Ciliegiolo. The microclimate of Maremma, influenced by the Tyrrhenian Sea and alleviated by nearby Mount Amiata, is suitable for the production of high-quality Sangiovese and international varieties, yielding wines with excellent structure, rich aromas and profound elegance.

Bucolic Toponymy

The altitude and exposure of Ghiaccio Forte hill is the key to its name. «Ghiaccio» comes from «addiaccio», an enclosure where shepherds let their flocks rest for the night underneath the stars. «Forte» refers to the Etruscan fortress, the remains of which can still be seen on top of the hill.