Since they gained ownership of Nittardi in 1982, the Frankfurt publisher and artist Peter Femfert and his wife Stefania Canali, a historian from Venice, have restored the estate step-by-step, with love and dedication. The vineyards were replanted, and in 1992, the ancient vat room was replaced by a modern cellar.

In 1999, a splendid estate was purchased in Maremma, and 20 hectares have been planted with local and international grapes on the coast. This is where the Super Tuscans of Nittardi - Ad Astra and Nectar Dei - come from.

In 2013, the couple’s eldest son, Léon Femfert, decided to occupy his place in the heart of the winery activities and continue its history after spending years of his life gaining experience in various wine regions around the world. Today, Nittardi produces six different wines, all certified organic: three different wines in Chianti Classico and three wines in Maremma. Every year they receive important awards and ratings, such as the Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri, 5-Star Awards by Decanter, and outstanding ratings by Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, Wine Advocate and James Suckling.

That of Nittardi, a boutique winery situated in the heart of the Chianti Classico region, is a story that dates back long in time, intertwined with the lives of families, Popes and artists. It is especially a story about wine and art, which this magical place combines in original and ever-evolving ways.

Created as a defensive tower, known as early as 1183 by the name of “Nectar Dei” (The Nectar of the God), in the 16th century, the Nittardi estate belonged to the Renaissance artist Michelangelo Buonarroti who, in 1549, while painting the Sistine Chapel in Rome, wrote to his nephew Lionardo so send him Nittardi wine as a “genuine gift to the Pope Julius II”. A choice that acquired a significant value because it was customary to donate an artistic artefact: by choosing its wine instead, it actually elevated it to a form of art.

This unique combination of art and wine is still cultivated today at Nittardi by Peter Femfert and his wife Stefania Canali, who took over the property in 1981, and by their eldest son, Léon, who joined the family venture in 2013.

As homage to Michelangelo, every year a well-known artist paints the label as well as the wrapping paper used for the Casanuova di Nittardi Vigna Doghessa wine bottles. The collection, started in 1981, includes works by internationally renowned artists such as Hundertwasser, Corneille, A.R. Penck, Mitoraj, Yoko Ono, Günter Grass, Dario Fo and Karl Otto Götz. Furthermore, in honour of the tradition, every year the first bottles of Nectar Dei, the top wine from the Maremma vineyards, are presented to the Pope.