History
Franco Todini’s beginnings
Cantina Todini grew from Franco Todini’s attachment to Umbria and his personal passion for wine. Born into modest circumstances, he demonstrated ambition and a strong capacity for sacrifice from an early age. He risked everything he had to establish a small construction company, which developed over slightly more than 30 years into one of Italy’s largest road-construction groups. Despite the company’s international success, he remained closely connected to Umbria.
1979: foundation of the winery
Franco Todini founded the winery in Umbria in 1979. It soon established itself as an important point of reference for wine production in the Todi area. The connection with Todi was incorporated into the architecture of the winery: its entrance was inspired by the door carved by Renaissance master Antonio Bencivenni for the principal portal of the Duomo di Todi. The door’s octagonal geometry subsequently became the model for the shape used on Cantina Todini’s wine labels.
2001: succession and modernization
Franco Todini died in 2001. His daughter, Luisa Todini, assumed responsibility for the family brand after accumulating experience in the family businesses and holding senior positions in other sectors. She set out to introduce the family labels to international markets and initiated a broad modernization program. The work included investment in the winery’s physical structure, personnel, and wine quality.
The contemporary estate
The renewed winery is associated with more than 40 hectares of vines and a large tasting room overlooking Todi. Its wider hospitality setting includes a relais with a restaurant, a manor villa, and a wildlife park. The business combines engagement with contemporary international markets with the principles attributed to Franco Todini: hard work, determination, and a strong sense of belonging to the territory.
Terroir
Cantina Todini lies at Loc. Rosceto, Voc. Collina 29/1, a few kilometres from Todi in central Umbria and within Todi DOC. The vineyards extend around the winery and across the surrounding hilly land, with predominantly southern exposure.
Nearby Lago di Corbara influences the hills and promotes effective ventilation through the vineyards. This airflow limits conditions favourable to pathogens that could impair grape quality. The climate is temperate, with marked differences between daytime and nighttime temperatures. These temperature variations encourage aromatic compounds to develop and concentrate in the grape skins, contributing to aromatic complexity and ageing potential.
The soils are clay-based and include stones of volcanic origin. Across the wines, the vineyard descriptions also refer to sedimentary, pebbly, rocky, and medium-textured components, reflecting variation within the estate’s hilly terrain.
Winemaking
Farming follows an integrated, low-impact approach. The emphasis is on the territorial varieties Grechetto and Sangiovese, accompanied by Viognier, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot.
Grape selection begins in the vineyard, where bunches are assessed carefully. Harvesting is performed manually every year. Because estate vineyards surround the winery, freshly picked fruit can reach the press within a few minutes, shortening the interval between harvest and processing. Ventilation associated with the hilly setting and Lago di Corbara also helps restrict pathogen development in the vines.
Vinification takes place at the estate winery using fruit from selected parcels judged suitable for Cantina Todini’s labels. Grapes are selected in the vineyard, harvested by hand, and delivered to the winery within minutes because the vineyards surround the production facility.
The enological program includes controlled management of fermentation temperatures in stainless-steel vessels, malolactic fermentation, and maturation in French oak. The winery employs two distinct ways of composing multi-variety wines: uvaggio, in which different grape varieties are combined during pressing, and blending, in which separately made wines are assembled before bottling according to the intended style of the label.
Philosophy
Cantina Todini places territorial identity at the centre of its work. Grechetto and Sangiovese form the core of production in continuity with the direction pursued by Franco Todini from the winery’s earliest years. International varieties are used alongside them to develop the intended balance of accessibility and elegance.
The winery’s self-defined foundation rests on hard work, determination, and a sense of belonging to Umbria. Its approach combines climatic conditions, respect for tradition, and long experience in handling grapes. Under Luisa Todini, this territorial foundation has been coupled with modernization, investment in quality, and engagement with international markets.