By Ekaterina Vislinskaya IWA | Guest Contributor
Back in 2023, my wine-loving fellows and I visited Azienda Agricola Roccapesta, a remarkable winery in Tuscany’s Maremma region, in the heart of Morellino di Scansano DOCG.
The release of Italian Wine Podcast Episode 2198, an interview with winery owner Alberto Tanzini, inspired me to look back on my own unforgettable journey and share some impressions, weaving in Alberto’s words from the podcast that reflect his fascinating path in wine.
A Twist of Fate
Life has a funny way of weaving stories together when we least expect it. Just when I thought I was simply discovering another Tuscan winery, the universe startled me with an incredible stroke of serendipity. And that was the meeting with Alberto Tanzini and his wife Ksenia. Ksenia is the Russian soul behind Azienda Agricola Roccapesta. As we talked over a glass of their velvety Morellino, our conversation took an unexpected turn. “Wait,” I interrupted, “did you say you are from Yekaterinburg?” Her face lit up. Not only was she from my beloved hometown, but she also studied at Ivan Lazarev’s prestigious wine school — the institution that shaped my own perception of wine years ago. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
Ksenia and Alberto Tanzini
Tasting is an inevitable part of each visit to a winery. We enjoyed a remarkable degustazione on the newly constructed terrace of Azienda Agricola Roccapesta. During the tasting, we tried four different wines. I took my notes (it’s a must!), carefully recording all my impressions of that event: the aromas, the flavours, so that in 3-4 years I can understand the evolution of the wine. Meanwhile, the sun was setting in a golden haze. The vineyards of Scansano stretched before us and the landscape was so breathtaking that it left me speechless. That evening back in June 2023, under the Tuscan sky of Maremma, the Tanzini’s turned a wine tasting into something far rarer: a moment of shared human spirit beyond nationalities and borders. A cake ordered in secret, a chorus of “Happy Birthday” for our adorable wine-fellow Lena Sokolova, and the unspoken promise that Roccapesta’s wines would forever taste of kinship.
Experiences like these are why wine isn’t just a drink — it’s a bridge between kindred spirits. There’s something magical about how the world brings like-minded people together, especially in unexpected places like the rolling hills of Scansano.
So, let me tell you about the rise of Azienda Agricola Roccapesta.
Alberto Tanzini
Alberto Tanzini’s story begins in the quiet northern town of Montichiari — a sleepy gem near Lake Garda, tucked away in the province of Brescia far from the rolling hills of Tuscany.
Winemaking?
It was never in his family’s blood. There were no dusty cellars filled with aging vintages, no passionate debates over terroir at the dining table. In fact, the Tanzinis were strangers to the world of wine.
After earning his PhD in Economics from the prestigious Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Alberto settled into the life of a financier. But Milan’s relentless pace —the screeching traffic, the endless rush of suits and briefcases — left him restless. He was a northerner, yes, but he was the one raised in the slow rhythms of a small town, where life moved at the speed of leisurely espresso breaks and evening strolls by the lake. The city’s chaos didn’t just exhaust him, it made him long for open skies and quiet mornings.
So, like many urban dreamers, Alberto began plotting his escape — a “casa in campagna” where he could finally breathe. A vineyard? Not even a fleeting thought. Destiny, however, had other plans…
“It was 2003 and I was working as a financial consultant in Milan”, Alberto explains to the Italian Wine Podcast. “So, not really much involved in agriculture or winemaking, and I found this, what was supposed to be a holiday house in Maremma, and within the house there was a little cellar and few hectares of vineyards…”.
From a financier to ì winemaker
And so, Alberto decided to venture into wine-making. “I was an infant in this field by Italian wine standards”, he recalls. For four intense years, he lived two lives between two homes: Milan and Scansano. On weekdays he remained a sharp-suited financier in Milan’s investment circles. On weekends he turned into a dirt-under-his-nails vigneron.
That kind of lifestyle would have broken most people, but not Alberto. He was in no rush to quit his career, but instead methodically studied the process of wine making. And his efforts were soon rewarded:
“It was only in 2006 when for the very first time I attended VinItaly, the Italian wine fair held every year in Verona, and really for the only time in my life I was able to sell wine exactly during the wine fair and actually I sold all of my wine at the wine fair! So, the very first approach to the market was a very lucky approach. I’m not saying I was much of the reason for this success but sometimes it’s very important to be lucky in life. And in that situation I was very lucky and it gave me a lot of positive feelings towards this activity and helped me to begin with some optimistic outcome.”
That was the tipping point when he chose the career of a wine maker over a financier.
Why “Roccapesta”?
The name “Roccapesta” didn’t arrive by accident. Instead, it was carefully chosen by Alberto and his father, Leonardo Tanzini.
“Roccapesta is a name made of two different nouns, ‘rocca’ means ‘rock’. It’s both the meaning of a big piece of stone and also ‘rock’ in Italian means a military fortress, so some place that is dominating the surroundings with no real comfort inside,” Alberto explained in the podcast.
Photo Credit Roccapesta
“Maremma is very similar to this. It’s a very beautiful place but without much comfort, but from where we can really see all the things that surround us. And ‘pesta’ is an Italian verb that means to step with the feet on something and it is related to this action, to squeeze, to press the grapes stepping with the feet above them, on them. So, in a way to make the wine in a very traditional style without too many additions from a vinological perspective and without too many machines involved in this process of winemaking. So we wanted this to be as traditional as possible.”
The philosophy behind Roccapesta
“The philosophy of Roccapesta is to really find the most authentic, the most true, the most typical expression of Sangiovese that belongs to Maremma … So, my target is to identify and to make clear to our customers what Sangiovese does in Maremma, Tuscany and it is totally different from the inner part of Tuscany,” Alberto said.
A quick note: Azienda Agricola Roccapesta now holds 32 hectares of vineyards with an overall production of slightly over 100,000 bottles a year, a new cellar, and a clear vision for how to explore the potential of the Tuscan Maremma wine region.
Photo Credit Roccapesta
Morellino di Scansano DOCG is a newcomer, having earned its status only in 2007. The Sangiovese grape variety profile here is still being written. Alberto Tanzini’s vision is unique: he is determined to leave his mark on enological history right here in the Tuscan Maremma. Ambitious? Yes! Napoleonic? Without a doubt! But is there any other way when you set global goals? Hardly. Just consider his mission to study a hundred different Sangiovese clones — that alone speaks volumes.
And these are not just theoretical plans. It is happening right here and right now. We are all here to witness the process, and it’s truly impressive and deserves great respect.
“Right now I planted a bit more than thirty different clones of Sangiovese on my fields, on my vineyards but I still have to experiment more than seventy other clones,” Alberto explains in the podcast.”
When you encounter individuals of such calibre, you always ask yourself, “Could I have done the same?” For me, there is no definitive answer.
But of one thing I’m sure: the personality of the winemaker defines the personality of the wine, just as the personality of the wine defines the personality of the person. Alberto
Tanzini is an individual whose ambition matches the challenge, a person who will undoubtedly succeed. And yes, he is on the path to his dream wine.
“So, the ‘dream wine’ is of course the most balanced wine that you can drink and enjoy now and drink and enjoy in twenty years’ time. This wine must give you some feelings, it must be the kind of wine that makes you think about it …. it’s even better if you can’t recognize what is the reason of that satisfaction because that means that it’s the personality of the wine, the full balance of the wine that gives this feeling all together.”
There is a lot more to learn about Alberto Tanzini and his winery from the podcast. Just follow the link:
Ep. 2198 Timur Aliahmetov interviews Alberto Tanzini of Roccapesta | Clubhouse Ambassadors’ Corner.
