Do ut Des: A Legacy Rooted in Grace and Grit at Carpineta Fontalpino
Meet Gioia Cresti of Fattoria Carpineta Fontalpino, an award-winning Tuscan winemaker turning family legacy into world-class organic wines.
Tammy de Weerd, Spoken Wines
This will hide itself!
Do ut Des: A Legacy Rooted in Grace and Grit at Carpineta Fontalpino
Meet Gioia Cresti of Fattoria Carpineta Fontalpino, an award-winning Tuscan winemaker turning family legacy into world-class organic wines.
Tucked into the hills just outside Siena, in the southern reaches of Chianti Classico, Fattoria Carpineta Fontalpino stands as one of those inspiring stories in Tuscan wine. Certified organic, family-run, and guided by one of Italy’s most revered female winemakers, this estate represents more than excellent wine—it embodies the Latin principle Do ut Des, meaning "In giving, I receive."
A little girl bound to the land
We met a woman whose presence carries both the weight of legacy and the lightness of joy. Gioia Cresti—winemaker, viticulturist, farmer, sister, daughter. She greeted us with warmth so immediate it felt like being welcomed by an old friend. I’ll admit, I was looking forward to meeting her, whose wines I had admired for so long. I arrived somewhat awestruck; her story had stirred my heart, and her accolades were impressive.
As a child of just four, Gioia lost her father, Italo, who had only recently begun building the farm and winery. Yet even at that tender age, something in her spirit bound her to the land. While her siblings pursued architecture like their father, Gioia—encouraged by her mother to study something more “practical”—chose instead to follow her father’s unfinished dream.
After studying agriculture and enology in Bordeaux, she returned to the estate and alongside her brother Filippo, who leads the business and export operations, transformed Carpineta Fontalpino into a benchmark for Chianti Classico and Gran Selezione wines.
We met Gioia Cresti, Carpineta Fontalpino — winemaker, viticulturist, farmer, sister, daughter
Expressions of the land
Their estate spans 90 hectares, with 30 planted to vine across two dramatically different zones: one at 300 meters, with clay-heavy soils yielding bold, spicy wines; the other at 600 meters, rocky and lean, producing graceful, lifted expressions. Gioia calls them the sun and the moon, superbly expressed in the personality of the two contrasting Gran Seleziones: the Vigna Dofana and the Vigna Montaperto, both from single vineyards.
Their Chianti Classico dazzled us with its deep, dark ruby color and complex layers of flavor, all in complete harmony easily one of the most impressive expressions we tasted in Tuscany.
Her winemaking philosophy is rooted in purity: gentle skin extraction, minimal intervention, and restrained use of oak. Only the flagship Do ut Des, a rich and structured Super Tuscan made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, sees a touch of new French oak. The result is a wine of balance and depth that lingers and finishes with persistence—one that mirrors its maker: poised, generous, and quietly powerful.
Gioia explaining the sun and the moon personalities of the contrastng terroirs
Do ut Des, in every sense
She lives the principle etched on her labels: Do ut Des. Whether tending vines, mentoring her team, or welcoming visitors, she gives generously—and the land, the people, and the wines return her devotion in kind—wines of harmonious expression, elegance, and grace.
Last year, she was honored in Japan as “Best Woman Winemaker”, a distinction that reflects not only her technical mastery but the emotional resonance of her work. Today, Gioia is celebrated as one of Tuscany’s most respected winemakers and consultants. But what stays with us isn’t just her talent or her wines—it’s her story. There’s something cinematic about her story: the little girl on the farm who grew into one of the most admired winemakers in Italy, quietly honoring her father’s dream while building something far beyond it—touching thousands of people around the world with her wines. But when you meet her, that narrative fades. What remains is a woman who shows up each day with humility, intuition, and fierce love for what she does. Here is the link to their website: www.carpinetafontalpino.it/en/
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