Storia
1948: Otello Bettarini establishes the family at Piazzano
In 1948, Otello Bettarini, an industrialist from Prato with a strong interest in astronomy, fell in love with the countryside south of Empoli and decided to settle there permanently. The hilltop hamlet of Piazzano became the setting for the activity that would define the Bettarini family: viticulture.
The second generation
Riccardo Bettarini initially worked alongside his uncle Otello and subsequently assumed direct responsibility for the estate. He developed the vineyard work begun by Otello and brought the wines of Piazzano to an international audience.
Otello, who lived from 1905 to 1982, was later commemorated through asteroid 7141 “Bettarini,” provisionally designated 1994 EZ1. A NASA certificate records the dedication.
Late 1990s: transfer to the third generation
At the end of the 1990s, Riccardo entrusted management to his children, Rolando and Ilaria Bettarini. Rolando’s wife, Maria Michela Saba, joined them in running the business. Their approach combines inherited family traditions, protection of the surrounding land and the application of newer techniques.
2018: seventy years
Fattoria di Piazzano marked its seventieth anniversary on 11 November 2018 in Empoli, celebrating the period from Otello Bettarini’s arrival in 1948 to the third generation’s stewardship.
Terroir
Fattoria di Piazzano occupies a small hilltop hamlet in the Empolese Valdelsa countryside, south of Empoli in central Tuscany. Houses at the crest of a gently contoured hill are surrounded by rows of vines and olive trees, with broad views across the Campagna Empolese.
The vineyard soils described across the estate’s production are clay loams containing rock fragments and abundant coarse mineral material. Some sites are additionally characterized by iron-rich soil. Recorded vineyard aspects include south and southwest, with northern exposure also used for some white grapes. Planting densities range from 3,200 to 5,000 vines per hectare, although 5,000 vines per hectare is common in the documented vineyard specifications.
Vinificazione
Vineyard management is organized around reducing environmental impact and protecting biodiversity. Pesticides are not used, while fertilizers and other chemical products employed in the vineyard are substantially reduced. The estate also uses only energy generated from renewable sources.
The documented vineyards are trained using capovolto toscano, with densities between 3,200 and 5,000 vines/ha. Most recorded harvest protocols use mechanical picking followed by careful grape selection. Grapes intended for the traditional dried-wine process are instead selected and harvested by hand into small baskets during the first half of September.
No products or derivatives of animal origin are employed in the vineyard or cellar. This production standard supports the wines’ vegan certification.
Production combines concrete-vessel vinification, indigenous yeasts, selective oak use and extended bottle maturation according to the intended style.
Documented cellar protocols begin with grape selection and soft crushing and destemming. Red-grape and skin-contact processes include macerations of at least 20 days or approximately three weeks, accompanied by daily or frequent pump-overs. Alcoholic fermentation may use indigenous yeasts. Glazed concrete tanks are employed for alcoholic and malolactic fermentation; one documented red-wine protocol ferments at 30–32 °C. Refrigerating bars fitted inside concrete tanks are used in one white-wine process to preserve freshness and aroma.
Depending on the intended result, maturation continues in concrete, French-oak barriques or bottle. Documented oak-aged reds receive a short period or a longer refinement in French-oak barriques, followed by at least six months in bottle.
The traditional dried-wine process begins with manually selected grapes picked into small baskets. Bunches dry slowly on racks in a dedicated vinsantaia until late December or the middle of January. They are then softly processed with a hand-operated press. Fermentation and maturation take place for at least five years in 50- or 100-litre caratelli assembled from different woods: chestnut, oak, cherry, acacia and mulberry. Bottle maturation continues for at least six to eight months.
Animal-derived products are excluded throughout production. Chemical inputs in both vineyard and cellar are substantially reduced.
Filosofia
The Bettarini family’s stated objective is to produce wines that express the land authentically and realize its potential as fully as possible. Their working model combines accumulated field experience and inherited cultural traditions with newer techniques and specialist technical assistance.
Quality is pursued together with the long-term health of the land. Environmental and human well-being guide the choice of lower-impact agricultural practices, biodiversity protection, renewable energy, reduced chemical inputs, lighter glass bottles and less plastic packaging. Attention to technology and changing market requirements is retained within this framework.
The estate also emphasizes indigenous grape varieties and careful grape selection. Its vegan standard extends across the entire process: no animal-derived products are used in either vineyard or cellar.