Salvatore Ferragamo on fashion family’s Tuscan wine estate, and three of its elegant wines to try

Salvatore Ferragamo, a third-generation member of the celebrated Italian fashion family, was recently in Hong Kong to promote Il Borro wines. His father, Ferruccio, acquired the dilapidated Tuscan wine estate – containing its own medieval village – in 1993, and the family turned the 700-hectare property into a functioning wine business and five-star hotel.

Somebody was needed to manage the new businesses, and Ferragamo was chosen. He is involved in all aspects of the winery.

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“It is fantastic seeing the rebirth of the property and starting from zero,” he says, adding that the wine business is “fragmented and about personal relationships. It takes time and is a long-term investment”.

Despite there being differences, Ferragamo believes wine­making and the luxury fashion business also share similarities.

“It is detail-oriented,” he says of winemaking. “Like fashion, there are trends, and now we are moving away from oaky wines. It is exciting.”