Wine Enthusiast honors Col d’Orcia: the historic Brunello estate, led by the Marone Cinzano Family, is named Environmental Advocate of the Year

For many years, Col d’Orcia has placed the protection of biodiversity and the safeguarding of sustainability at the heart of its growth, within the unique territory of the Val d’Orcia, building a true “organic oasis”: 520 hectares on the southern slope of Montalcino, homeland of Brunello di Montalcino, among vineyards, olive groves, arable land, and woodland. The Marone Cinzano Family has always attributed great value and particular attention to the natural environment in which it operates.

Beginning in 2010, the estate initiated its conversion process to obtain organic certification, becoming the largest organic vineyard in Tuscany. Since then, the entire property has been managed exclusively through organic farming practices, introducing year after year an approach increasingly close to biodynamics, while maintaining a strong artisanal component in vineyard work and production processes. A journey renewed each year through new challenges and objectives—one that can never truly reach a final destination, but only successive milestones marked by both small and significant achievements. Among them is the recognition from Wine Enthusiast, one of the most influential wine publications in the world, which has named Col d’Orcia “Environmental Advocate of the Year.” The award, established for the first time this year as part of the Wine Enthusiast’s Annual Wine Star Awards, honors best practices and the results achieved through clear, sometimes radical choices—never easy, yet necessary.

Choices that look not only to environmental sustainability, but also to social sustainability—strengthening the relationship with the territory and with those who work at Col d’Orcia every day, in a healthy working environment in every respect. From soil preservation to biodiversity, from packaging to water resource protection, from renewable energy to future objectives: many fronts remain open, all essential for those who are literally obsessed by nature. This attention and care for the environment have deep roots, in a long process toward sustainability that has become a bridge between generations, linking Count Francesco Marone Cinzano with his sons Alberto and Santiago. Over the past half-century, the effort has been shared and collective, beginning with agronomic leadership—passed from the hands of long-time collaborator Giuliano Dragoni to Valerio Chechi and his young assistant.

A pioneering path that, for a decade, also intertwined with Chilean viticulture. Arriving in San Javier, in the Maule Valley, in 1996, Count Francesco Marone Cinzano played a fundamental role in rediscovering and relaunching ancient “Patrimonial” grape varieties. Within a decade, he traced a path now followed by new generations of winegrowers aiming for San Javier’s recognition as “Capital del Vino Patrimonial de Chile,” while celebrating an initial milestone: designation as a “UNESCO Creative City” for gastronomy. This recognition, as emphasized by the city’s mayor Jorge Silva Sepúlveda, is also thanks to the work of Count Francesco Marone Cinzano. “At Col d’Orcia, we are not wine producers—we are farmers. We care for the land, we cultivate the vine, and wine is the consequence of the grapes we harvest. When I realized the extraordinary heritage represented by the biodiversity we have in Montalcino and at Col d’Orcia, I asked myself what contribution I could make. In 2009, I decided to transform Col d’Orcia into an organic farm, where grape production is complemented by olive oil, cereals, and other crops,” says Count Francesco Marone Cinzano, who led the company’s transition. Today, the estate stands as a model for the territory and for Italian wine worldwide—an “advocate of the environment,” as stated by the award that Wine Enthusiast will present to Col d’Orcia on January 26, 2026, in New York at The Glasshouse, venue of the 26th Wine Enthusiast’s Annual Wine Star Awards.

“For nearly 20 years, our family has chosen to live on the estate, and therefore to treat it with the utmost care and attention toward the future—biodynamic practices extend from vegetable gardens to bee-friendly fields, from tobacco to chickpeas. The greatest beneficiaries have been our Sangiovese parcels, now infused with a biodiversity that brings organic matter and vitality,” concludes Santiago Marone Cinzano, the third generation of the family in Montalcino.