The Life of Giacomo Tachis and His Testament: "La livella del vino"

"Il vino è l'interpretazione umana dell'uva."

Like at a gathering of friends, it is time for farewells; yesterday Italy said goodbye for the last time to Giacomo Tachis, architect of the enological "Rinascimento" made in Italy; but not only the wine world will mourn him, but an entire country that owes so much to one who contributed to the revaluation of one of Italy's finest products.

"To make a friend, a glass of wine is enough; to keep one, not even a barrel will do."

He was born in Piedmont, in Poirino, a small town in the province of Turin, in 1933, to a working-class father and a housewife mother: simple parents who brought him and his brother Antonio Mario into the world – a brother who would go on to earn degrees in both chemistry and nuclear physics, becoming a world-renowned scientist.

His Education

Young Giacomo, who was also an avid reader (and would remain so for his entire life), enrolled at the Istituto Agrario di Alba, chosen because among his relatives was the general director of Martini e Rossi in France, and being a practical person, he thought this connection might give him a quicker foothold in the working world – he had no idea yet who Giacomo Tachis would become!

What he would go on to achieve was greatly influenced by Emile Peynaud, the father of Bordeaux enology, whom he came to know through an extensive exchange of letters. Thanks to him, he learned the management of tannins and polyphenols using barrique, the importance of blending on a wine's balance, knowledge in the field of microbiology, and glass aging; as an intelligent person, he always knew how to enrich himself, and with this spirit he deepened his knowledge of malolactic fermentation, namely the research of Prof. Ralph Kunkee.

His First Work Experiences

His first job was at a distillery producing Ballor liqueurs, an opportunity to deepen his passion for chemistry; he then moved to the Cantina Sociale del Piemonte, before going to work for Alberti Tommaso in Imola.

In 1961, Professor Giuseppe Dell'Olio, principal of the institute where he had earned his diploma, put his name forward to an important company looking for a winemaker – it was Ricasoli; but Giacomo had another offer in hand: Antinori. And so in 1961 began a collaboration that lasted 32 years and from which – along with what we might call a "political" clash – wines such as Sassicaia, Tignanello, and Solaia were born.

Piedmont and Tuscany together – an enological dream!

It was a period of economic crisis, a time when the fiasco of Chianti was a wine of poor reputation, and it was the moment to change course: Niccolò Antinori understood this and first brought on Tachis, then gradually introduced his newly economics-graduated son Piero into the company, who would eventually take his place.

"Wine will never know a crisis because people drink it and always will."

The Birth of the Supertuscans

The Antinoris wanted an innovative, different wine, and Tachis sought the collaboration of Ribereau-Goyon, who, however, declined the invitation – and that turned out to be a stroke of luck!

The enterprising Giacomo then made contact with Peynaud, whom until then he had known only through their correspondence, and so began their collaboration, marked by constant travel.

The turning point came in 1968, the year in which the Antinoris introduced Giacomo to their cousin Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta – who was more of a racehorse breeder than a wine producer and wanted to diversify his activities. Coincidences, connections, handshakes: that is how Sassicaia was born, the first Italian wine capable of competing with the Châteaux of our French cousins.

"The French have been the cleverest, but they are by no means unbeatable."

Antinori retained exclusive commercial rights, and it was the beginning of a success story. A wine that expresses and enhances the Tuscan territory, thanks to a blend of international varieties Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, through which the then-unknown territory of Bolgheri made its name.

The Antinoris then understood that the path they had taken was bold but winning, and entrusted Tachis with the Tignanello project: a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet. Initially it was very successful abroad, especially in America, but not in the Bel Paese, where it was accused of upending Tuscan tradition.

In 1978, Tachis and Antinori brought Solaia to life – the same grape varieties and similar production methods, but with the opposite mix: 20% Sangiovese and 80% Cabernet Sauvignon (today 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc, 20% Sangiovese).

Innovation, obstacles, criticism: all ingredients of success! Tuscany is no longer the land of Chianti made from a mix of red and white grape varieties – now it is the region of Tachis, Antinori, Incisa della Rocchetta and the Supertuscans!

The interpretation of territory and tradition are, according to Tachis, double-edged swords that can lead to stagnation – but he was skilled at taming them and turning them into instruments in the service of innovation.

Other Projects

Another "child" of Giacomo was Galestro, named after the rocky soil typical of Tuscany, created to employ and enhance Trebbiano and Malvasia – grapes present in the vineyards but eliminated from the "recipes" of the wines Tachis had conceived.

In France in 1975, he deepened his knowledge of Beaujolais nouveau and, upon returning, proposed a new challenge to the Antinoris. After the success of aged wines, he wanted to create an entirely opposite product: the Novello – and thus San Giocondo was born.

At this point, you might say, sparkling wine is missing from the picture; well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but thanks to Tachis and Antinori, Tuscan wineries began producing metodo classico sparkling wines!

The Antinoris held exclusive rights to his services, but they were willing to tolerate his constant desire to test himself, allowing him to work with their relatives or on experiences he found interesting.

The Split from Antinori and the Travels of the "Corsair"

In 1992 he left Antinori and, despite being flooded with important offers from Fontanafredda, Cinzano, and Generali, he preferred to remain independent so that he could work as an external consultant and travel.

While his Supertuscans were by then firmly seated in the pantheon of wines, he began to champion Sardegna, creating wines such as Terre Brune, from Carignano and Bovaleddu grapes aged in barrique.

An interesting project was Agricola Punica, founded in 2002 in collaboration with Antonello Pilloni, Sebastiano Rosa – already manager of Tenuta San Guido – and Marchese Incisa della Rocchetta. The flagship wine of this venture seems like an alliance between Tuscany and Sardinia, between the past (but not too distant) and the present of that era: Barrua, a blend of Cabernet and Carignano.

"L'enologo corsaro" – as he often liked to call himself – brought the fertile ground of his expertise everywhere he went, masterfully interpreting each experience with his characteristic sensitivity; including in Sicilia, where he collaborated with the Region, with the Istituto della Vite e del Vino, and above all with producers such as Duca di Salaparuta and Florio, as well as with Diego Planeta, Leonardo Agueci, Vincenzo Melia and Elio Marzullo.

Among his innovations, for example, was the famous nighttime harvest at Donnafugata – a marketing move (a discipline he always criticized but which paradoxically underpinned many of his successes).

In Sicily he managed to draw out a fascinating Pinot Nero on Etna, but above all he championed indigenous varieties such as Nero d'Avola, Inzolia, Grillo, Caricante, Cataratto, and Frappato.

Tachis: far and wide, wandering across Italy and our vineyards.

In Trentino Alto Adige he "painted" San Leonardo: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot; then came the Marche and Umani Ronchi (and Pelago)… unstoppable, like a river in flood sweeping through the entire country.

A great connoisseur of chemistry, history and literature, some called him an alchemist – in his own words, he was simply "blending wines".

"The father of Italian wine" – Decanter.

Having retired from professional activity in 2010, he was the father of the Supertuscans, of clonal selection, of high-density planting, of yield reduction, of malolactic fermentation, of aging in small oak… A revolutionary, certainly one of the architects of what the Italian wine world – and beyond – is today.

"They pull out chemical formulas from their pockets, but that's not what makes wine."

He was able to convey – first and foremost to his colleagues – that the winemaker is not merely a chemist on loan to the world of wine.

"Let us respect the nature and simplicity of wine. So no chemistry as it is practiced today, and be careful with genetics, because nature rebels."

Tachis is wine, is Italy, is the Mediterranean, is Piedmont, is Tuscany but also Sardinia, Sicily…

"In Italy, it is enough to want to produce well to achieve results, because there is sun, light, the land is well exposed – it is a matter of investing and working at it."

His testament, in my view, is contained in this quote, paradoxical given the life he led – I call it "La livella del vino":

"There is the wine of the poor and the wine of the rich: the poor man's wine is the 'vinum operarium' made simply by the farmer, born from feeling and closer to nature. The serious farmer vinifies as he feels compelled to do, and his inspiration comes from the land and the harmony he has reached with it; in this way wine is born from the hand of man as nature intends it to be. The rich man's wine, on the other hand, is produced with sophisticated techniques – obtained through particular rackings, microfiltrations, or even gimmicks such as reverse osmosis and others. It bets on selected, well-known, most prestigious grape varieties."

Farewells from Some Notable Figures

"There are men to whom many owe much, and Giacomo Tachis is one of them" – said Veronafiere director general Giovanni Mantovani – "a rare man, intelligent, cultured, humble, ironic, he wrote the fundamental pages of modern Italian enology and viticulture. The story of what he created will be told by those producers who had the insight, the privilege and the honour of working by his side. Giacomo Tachis represented the renaissance of Italian wines and will remain forever in the history of Italian enology and in the hearts of all who knew him."

"With the passing of Giacomo Tachis" – said the Minister of Agricultural Policy, Maurizio Martina – "the wine world loses one of its most important masters. An undisputed protagonist of the renaissance of Italian wine, he knew how to reinterpret the very role of the winemaker. A man of extraordinary culture who made quality a daily practice, becoming a point of reference for new generations of winemakers. If Italian wine has managed to reach certain milestones" – the minister concluded – "it is also thanks to men like Giacomo Tachis and Luigi Veronelli who, in difficult years, were able to accompany the relaunch of this sector. We must ensure that their legacy can be a stimulus to always do better."