The courtyard with battlements, well and a loggia before Charlotte's restoration.

The courtyard of Castello Potentino with battlements, well, and a loggia before Charlotte’s loving restoration.

 

Way back in 2014 I had the distinct pleasure of breaking bread with winemaker Charlotte Horton of Tuscany’s Castello Potentino when she was in town for that year’s incarnation of the Terroir symposium.

Fast forward to 2021, and Charlotte is just about to publish her book A Tuscan Adventure : The Restoration Of A Castle through Rizzoli International, where she chronicles the painstaking restoration of Castello Potentino, a decrepit and crumbling edifice that she purchased back in the 1980s. Now restored to its former glory, as well as being the base of her wine operation, the castle now serves as a cultural and gastronomic hub for the region.

We reconnected via the magic of Zoom to discuss how she ended up in possession of such a pulchritudinous piece of history, and the many trials and tribulations of restoring such a grand building that had, in many ways, been left to wither on the vine.

Look out for Part 2 next week.

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Charlotte’s Castello Potentino wines are represented in Ontario by The Vine Agency.

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