History
The medieval origin of the name
Podere di Pieve takes its name from an ancient Romanesque pieve, or parish church. The earliest documents cited for the church date to 988 AD and record that its parish encompassed the surrounding farms, including Podere di Pieve. The date concerns the historical parish and the origin of the estate’s name; it is not presented as the founding year of the present agricultural business.
Recovery of the historic cellar
During the 1990s, the farmhouse underwent a substantial renovation. The work brought its old underground wine cellars back to light. These spaces were carefully recovered, retaining and highlighting their historic elements while respecting the architectural character of the area.
The family business today
Podere di Pieve operates as a family agricultural business in which grape growing and olive cultivation form part of everyday life. Giorgio Mori and Andrea Mori direct the estate. Both are also owners of Mori-Tem srl, a producer of olive-oil plants and winemaking equipment.
Development of estate olive-oil production
Cold weather in 2018 sharply reduced olive production. The estate consequently delayed the following pruning season until March in an effort to avoid a repetition of the damage.
The 2018/19 olive harvest was processed at the Torre Bianca and Ranocchiaia mills in San Casciano Val di Pesa. It yielded 800 half-litre bottles of the delicate Triangolo Giallo and 500 half-litre bottles of the more robust Triangolo Verde. The vintage did not permit production of the “4m” Giorgio Mori Selection.
In January 2019, the estate installed a new experimental MORI-TEM olive-oil plant. The system introduced in-line temperature conditioning, a differential grazing-cut crusher, linear processing through vertical tanks under controlled atmosphere, a unidirectional decanter, a settling tank with a rotary skimmer, and a final-cleaning filter. An automatic washing system was designed to clean the plant in 30 minutes while limiting water use. The estate also began assigning an individual code to each olive tree to track the productivity and quality associated with every plant.
Terroir
Podere di Pieve lies at Strada Pianacci in Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, within the present commune of Barberino Tavarnelle and a few kilometres from Florence. The property overlooks the Chianti hills, and its grapes are cultivated on these hillsides.
The estate’s olive production is placed in the Chianti Fiorentino area at an altitude of 350 m. No separate vineyard altitude is established. The locality and surrounding hills are presented as an integral influence on the character and quality of both grapes and olives.
Winemaking
Podere di Pieve cultivates both grapevines and olive trees as an integrated family agricultural estate. All of its wines are organic. Giorgio Mori’s broader agricultural principles emphasize respect for the land, the avoidance of pesticides, and retention of agricultural by-products within the farm so they can be recycled for green energy where possible.
The olive grove is managed at plant level: each tree is assigned a code and a positional zone, allowing productivity and the quality associated with individual trees to be tracked. After damaging cold in 2018, olive pruning was deliberately postponed until March in the following season to reduce exposure to another cold event.
Harvest methods, grape sorting, soil cultivation, cover crops, vine pruning, canopy operations, disease-control materials, water management, biodiversity measures, and organic certification details are not defined.
The farmhouse contains old underground wine cellars recovered during its 1990s renovation. The restoration retained and emphasized historic structural elements and the architectural character of the property.
Winemaking decisions are directed toward expressing the best qualities of grapes grown on the surrounding hillsides. Production combines modern technology with respect for nature, and every wine is produced organically.
Detailed estate-wide protocols for grape reception, sorting, crushing, fermentation, maceration, malolactic conversion, maturation vessels, oak use, stabilization, filtration, sulphur additions, bottling, and bottle ageing are not defined.
Philosophy
Podere di Pieve presents grape growing and olive cultivation not simply as commercial activities but as part of the Mori family’s daily life. Its cellar philosophy is to bring out the best in fruit grown on the surrounding hillsides, using modern technology with professionalism and respect for nature.
Giorgio Mori advocates a renewed understanding that the land sustains human life and should be treated with the care shown by earlier generations. His conception of the “artisan of the earth” centres on giving agricultural raw materials their full value, avoiding pesticides, and keeping by-products within the farm for conversion into green energy whenever possible.
He also argues for preserving the identity of local agricultural artisans against the homogenizing effects of industrial-scale production. In his view, losing that identity would erase distinctions among places, regions, and countries. Sharing the estate’s work in the fields, cellar, and olive mill is part of the same approach: its passion and technical development are intended to be communicated directly to customers.