Late summer in Italy can resemble a special circle of Dante’s Inferno—one filled with too many tourists in tar-melting heat as Italians flee their work posts to go to the beach or mountains.
But then, occasionally, even in summer, Italians do what they do best: surprise you with rabbit-out-of-the-hat magic that leaves you agape.
That charming wizardry was in full force in coastal Tuscany, at the Bolgheri appellation’s 30th anniversary “Dinner for a Thousand,” staged Sept. 4 along the iconic, cypress-lined road that passes under Bolgheri’s medieval castle.
Picture this: More than half a mile of table tastefully dressed with tablecloths, high-end tableware and candles. Dishes like perfectly al dente paccheri pasta with wild boar ragù served with military precision by 140 waitstaff from five temporary kitchens. And 160 sommeliers pouring from a list of about 100 wines dating back to Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri-Sassicaia Sassicaia 1995 (90 points, $95).
So tell me: Where else are you going to find that?
This edition of the Bolgheri DiVino dinner was the third in five years and the largest. In my opinion, it ranks among the wine world’s great celebrations.
I have been to many bacchanalias, but what was so impressive about this one was the simple elegance and audacity of it: outdoor dining along the 19th-century Viale dei Cipressi, lined with more than 2,500 cypresses. And to top it off, there was no tent!
That evening was marked by a colorful sunset and a few drops of rain just before the dinner began. During the meal by Florentine caterer Guido Guidi (cold cream of pea soup, pasta, croakerfish and ice cream), the sky was lit up by lightning from the hills, but the rain held off until the next morning’s downpour.
“In recent years, the weather has become more changeable, and you get these rains that can happen all of a sudden,” explains Albiera Antinori, president of her family’s Marchesi Antinori wine company and of the Bolgheri wine producers’ consortium. “And there is no plan B.”
In 2019, the first dinner under the cypresses hosted 800 guests for Bolgheri’s 25th anniversary. The second came in 2021, after Italy’s initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and attracted 1,000 guests.
“We wanted to do something special as a moment of gathering. Then we decided to do it every three years,” says Antinori. “It’s something unique, so it should be remembered as a symbol of Bolgheri.”
Ticket sales are not open to the public. The event is invitation-only from the consortium and its 74 member producers, who buy tickets about five months in advance.
The event is indeed a symbol of how far Bolgheri has come in 30 years as a small but brilliant appellation that has attracted important wine names from across Italy.
For a history of Bolgheri dating back to Mario Incisa della Rocchetta’s first planting of Cabernet Franc in 1944, which later led to Sassicaia, check out Wine Spectator’s April 30, 2018 issue, led by senior editor Bruce Sanderson’s cover story.
Viewed in today’s context, Bolgheri is an anomaly: an appellation based on international grape varieties in an age that romanticizes indigenous grapes. (I stand guilty as charged.) Its vineyards are fixed at about 3,300 acres. Its dominant category is red wine blends based on Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, with some Syrah, Petit Verdot and Sangiovese. Its whites are largely Vermentino and Sauvignon Blanc, bottled either as single varieties or blended.
Blessed with a slightly longer growing season than Bordeaux, Bolgheri gives wines its own character in terms of spice and freshness. The latter has been a focus in recent years as the wines have become more elegant, and less woody and less concentrated.
“The vines are getting older so the wines are getting more consistent,” says Antinori. “The challenge is there are a lot of new producers. Ten years ago, we were 50 producers. We have to get [the newcomers] working correctly to make the best wines they can.”
In a time when it’s become popular to beat up on the Italian appellation system by pointing to its limitations, Bolgheri ranks among Italy’s greatest modern success stories.
“The appellation has been working well because we are small,” Antinori adds.
Small, I’d agree, but with the resources and vision to think big.
