Miriam Caporali, owner of Tenuta Valdipiatta, and Michael L. Cioffi, founder of Monteverdi Tuscany, announce a strategic agreement that solidifies the future of one of the oldest family-owned wineries in Montepulciano. Thanks to a significant investment and the shared vision of the two entrepreneurs, Valdipiatta is preparing to write a new chapter in its history, strengthening its bond with the territory and aiming for oenological excellence.
The partnership
The partnership outlines the full acquisition of Tenuta Valdipiatta shares to Michael L. Cioffi, owner of Monteverdi Tuscany, a family-owned luxury boutique hotel in the heart of Val d’Orcia just 15km away. This agreement will bring substantial new financial resources in excess of a million euros to the winery for expansion of the vineyard and investment in new cutting-edge vinification equipment.
Miriam Caporali will remain as the chief operating officer of Valdipiatta and together with her husband Giuliano, will continue to operate the winery on a day-to-day basis, as her father before her – with a continued vision deeply rooted in the tradition and authenticity of the territory.
The history of Valdipiatta
Valdipiatta was established in the prestigious wine region known as Vino Nobile di Montepulciano in late 1960. The winery was purchased by Ms. Caporali’s father, Giulio Caporali in the mid-1980’s. At that time, Giulio decided to leave Rome, where he was living, to carry out a project that would bring him back to his passions, and he chose Valdipiatta as his Shangri-La, with the dream of producing wine but also developing his humanistic interests. He bought the estate which, over the years, has grown from its original 10 hectares to the current 30, of which 20 are planted with vines, two with olive trees and the rest with woodland. An engineer, scholar of history, art and literature, he published an essay on the Etruscan origins of Montepulciano and the figure of Porsenna, the legendary founder of the city, and translated from Latin the Charter of Montepulciano, a manuscript from 1337.
Mr. Caporali grew the winery in both size and reputation, winning numerous prizes and accolades, including from Antonio Galloni, Wine Spectator, James Suckling, and Wine Enthusiast. Valdipiatta’s reputation grew even further in 2000 when the Wine Spectator published an article by James Suckling, then and now, the leading authority on Italian wines. In the article Suckling wrote: “This year I tasted nearly 1,000 Tuscan wines…there are some wines worth seeking out, especially since Vino Nobiles sell for about one-third to one-half of the top Brunellos…the best Vino Nobiles I tasted this year were Tenuta Valdipiatta (94), Villa S. Anna and Bindella (90). The Tenuta Valdipiatta is the greatest Vino Nobile I have ever tasted, packed to the brim of the bottle with ripe fruit and big velvety tannins…”
After experience in business consulting, Miriam decided to devote herself to the family business. From 1997 to 2002 Miriam worked closely with her father at Valdipiatta, learning all aspects of winery management. She also visited Bordeaux, where she attended an advanced course in wine tasting and winemaking. Sharing her father’s passion for the terroir of Montepulciano and its ancient winemaking tradition, she decided to dedicate herself to the family business and took over the management in 2002.
Father and daughter, Giulio and Miriam have been the perfect wine-growing team and they made award-winning wine together until 2019, when sadly Caporali passed away, too young. Since then, Miriam has continued this remarkable and quintessential family business with her husband, Giuliano, and carried on with the passion for excellence learned from her father. In December 2024, Valdipiatta’s most recent releases were rated by James Suckling as 95 points (Valdipiatta Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Vigna d’Alfiero 2019) and 94 points (Valdipiatta Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2020).
The 20-year friendship between Giulio Caporali and Michael Cioffi
It all began with the Wine Spectator’s article in 2003. Prior to a long family vacation that year in Tuscany, Mr. Cioffi read the article and put finding Valdipiatta at the top of his day excursions itinerary. It took the better part of a day for him to find Valdipiatta as 20 years ago there was little by way of signage, directions and wine tasting in Tuscany. But after several hours of searching, Michael Cioffi knocked on the front door of the winery’s main building. No answer. He knocked another time and after a minute or two Giulio Caporali answered. As Cioffi recalls it, “Giulio answered the door wearing muddied work boots and jeans, a checked work shirt and neck scarf soaked in sweat. I explained to him in very poor Italian that I had read about his wine in the Wine Spectator and wanted to meet him and purchase some of the historic 1997 vintage. He pretended not to understand me although I later learned he was a truly Renaissance man—engineer, historian, Etruscan scholar, and writer—who spoke English fluently. After about an hour of listening to me struggle to explain in awful Italian everything I knew about his accomplishments, he smiled at me and asked, “Would you like to see the wine cellar?” Like Rick and Captain Louis, it was the start of a beautiful friendship. Over the next 20 years, we spent many hours talking about everything under the sun—Etruscan history, art, music, philosophy, politics, and, of course, wine. I think his favourite pastime was to blind taste me on the wines of the world from his private cellar. Proud to say that I did not disappoint my friend with the wrong answers very often…or maybe he gave me more passes than I deserved. Giulio was a great scholar, winemaker, and human being. I love and miss him even today.”
Together, Valdipiatta and Monteverdi aim to continue their legacy of excellence, blending tradition with innovation to offer exceptional experiences in wine and hospitality.
