Quell’angolo dello Swaziland

Peter de Pentheny O’Kelly was born and raised in Swaziland in a family of Irish origin. At La Casa di Bricciano, he found visual echoes of that landscape in the hills south of Gaiole in Chianti.

During a vineyard visit, Peter led Urano Cupisti and sommelier Lisa Pagliazzi to Punto Swaziland, a wooden cantilevered terrace overlooking the Bricciano basin. In warm summer sunsets, the colours of the landscape reminded him of Africa.

Peter discussed the long and sometimes discouraging research behind his choices of site, grape varieties and production methods. For a small holding, he considered a clearly recognizable identity essential: without it, the estate would be overwhelmed by competitors with greater scale. He therefore concentrated on quality, distinctive character and a defined market rather than volume.

His organic agriculture was deliberately low-impact and attentive to the environment and consumer welfare, but he did not position himself as a standard-bearer for the natural-wine movement. His practical conclusion was simpler: wine first had to be good. The visit concluded with a tasting across four estate wine types and several vintages.