Tucked into the steep folds of Garfagnana, forty kilometres north of Lucca, Podere Còncori is one of Italian natural wine's best-kept secrets. Winemaker Gabriele da Prato inherited a family smallholding with deep roots — his father Luigi began bottling wine here in the 1950s — and in 1998 set about a thorough reinvention, abandoning conventional inputs for biodynamic and organic viticulture.
Backstory
The Da Prato family arrived in Garfagnana generations before wine became their calling. Luigi Da Prato kept barrels for family and neighbours, but it was Gabriele who, in 1998, committed fully to quality, converting the estate to biodynamic principles and planting varieties suited to the cool mountain climate rather than chasing Tuscan fashion.
The Region
Garfagnana sits in the Valle del Serchio, wedged between the Apuan Alps and the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. The altitude — vineyards sit at roughly 400 metres above sea level — and the constant airflow funnelled down from the Apennines keep temperatures moderate and disease pressure low. Journalists and sommeliers who expect big, warm Tuscan reds are invariably surprised: the wines here carry the freshness and mineral tension of the Loire Valley.
Vineyards and Farming
Gabriele farms approximately five hectares, a portion of which are planted with vines over sixty years old. The soils are silica, sandstone, and pebbly scree on slopes as steep as seventy percent along the Serchio river. All work is done by hand with no synthetic chemistry. Gabriele follows the biodynamic calendar for planting, pruning, and bottling, and uses preparations to build soil health over the long term.
Winemaking
In the cellar Gabriele maintains the same minimalist stance. Fermentations proceed spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in large vessels; there is no clarification, no filtration, and no additions beyond small doses of sulfur when absolutely necessary. Long, unhurried maceration and gentle elevage allow the wines to find their own shape.
The Wines
Syrah is the signature variety at Còncori, appearing in the estate's flagship VignaPiezza, the Melograno, and the rosé Flos. Pinot Nero and the aromatic Traminer round out the range alongside the Chenin Blanc-based Còncori Bianco. Taken together they are a persuasive argument that Garfagnana deserves a place in the conversation about Italy's most compelling wine zones.
