«Wine is an age-old dialogue between heaven and earth.» – Olympia and Alberto Parrini
The new star in the Tuscan sky
When Alberto was a little boy, he would often go on walks with his father through the family's vineyards and observe his grandparents as they worked. The reverential movements, the earthy smell – in Alberto's eyes, these had something ritualistic, almost magical about them. His fascination with the earth hasn't loosened its hold over him. However, this never stopped him from dreaming of the infinite. As a result, he ultimately moved to Milan to study space technology.
As an engineer with a doctorate, Alberto's wife Olympia is also involved in astronautics. As a child of Greek-Polish immigrants, she grew up in a high-rise in Darmstadt. «I spent hours observing the sky and asked a lot of questions about the universe. While my friends adored the Backstreet Boys, I was a fan of Neil Armstrong.» Like the first man on the moon, Olympia and Alberto want to leave behind a footprint that will stand the test of time. They were very aware of this when their daughter Stella was born. The time had come to make their long-cherished dream of owning their own vineyard a reality: «It's unbelievable how tangible memories and dreams can become if we resolutely pursue them and if the people we love share them with us», says Alberto. Today, Le Stadère family vineyard in the Maremma is a place of connectedness, a personal anchor point where the young family can live peacefully.
In both the Sestile and Effemeridi wines, a fascination with the heavens meets a fascination with the earth. Sestile – «sextile» in English – refers to a 60-degree angle between two planets and the Earth. In olden times, this constellation was considered a good omen if it appeared when a person was born. «We're not sure if the heavens influence an individual's personality. However, we have no doubt that the Meremma's clear and sunny skies shape the character of our wine», say Alberto and Olympia.