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Elisabetta Geppetti: Go-getter Girls & Grapes

by Dean Morretta

It’s time to start previewing the tasting wines for the upcoming Go-Getter Girls & Grapes on May 17th! Go-Getter Girls & Grapes is a women's professional networking and wine tasting evening, featuring global wines made by female winemakers and owners. Tickets are $15 and are still available for the next event at http://www.elizabethmillerwine.com/gogettergirlsgrapes.Wine #1 is from the Lady of Morellino herself: Fattoria Le Pupille Morellino di Scansano Reserva DOCG 2012. Who is The Lady of Morellino? Elisabetta Geppetti, owner and head of Fattoria Le Pupille in Tuscany for almost three decades. Elisabetta’s entrepreneurial ability and tenaciousness has made her estate the anchor of the region in an otherwise male dominated industry.In marriage, Elisabetta became part of the family owned estate, Le Pupille, which beyond wine also produced sheep, cows and vegetable. At just twenty years old, her father-in-law died, and she managed the first harvest alone. By Elisabetta’s hands, Le Pupille grew, and went from a very small vineyard to almost 80 hectares of vine.Elisabetta shared how things were not always easy in an interview for The Maremma Guide: "It was difficult in the beginning. I was so very young and a woman. People in this land did not treat me in a serious way. It is an area characterised by men as is the agricultural business generally speaking. So in the beginning it was not so easy. But I was animated by a great passion and wanted to reach to the top of the wine. So this helped me a lot in this male world.” Her determination paid off. By the 1990s, Fattoria Le Pupille had a presence in the international wine market, long before it’s neighbors. Scansano is a village located in the hilly area of Maremma in the coastal part of Tuscany. Morellino di Scansano DOCG is an Italian red wine made in the region, Morellino being the local name for the Sangiovese grape variety.In the early 1990s, the region was not well known and Morellino di Scanscano was a hard sell. In 1992, the Consortium of Morellino di Scanscano was founded to promote the region, and who was made it’s founding Chairperson? Elisabetta Geppetti!Elisabetta has continued to bring Fattoria Le Pupille great respect and success. In 2006, she was the first woman awarded as “Winemaker of the Year” by the German magazine Der Feinschmecker and Wein Gourmet.At Go-Getter Girls & Grapes, we’ll taste the 2012 Morellino di Scansano Riserva DOCG. The Riserva actually started Fattoria Le Pupille’s business, being the first wine that was made by the young winery. The 2012 is 95% Sangiovese and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, and sees two years of aging in French barriques. Delicious!_________About The AuthorElizabeth Miller is the Manager of Vintology Wine & Spirits in Scarsdale, NY, and the Associate Director and Instructor of the Westchester Wine School. She is a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) and a Certified Specialist of Spirits (CSS) through the Society of Wine Educators, and has served as instructor for the CSW. You can find out more about Elizabeth at her blog "Girl Meets Vine".http://www.elizabethmillerwine.com/


About the Author

Dean Morretta - Owner of Vintology Wine & Spirits with over 25 years of fine wine experience. I've been involved in all aspects of the industry, from retail to import and distribution. As store shelves are becoming increasingly overwhelmed with mass-produced wines and marketer-created brands, Vintology offers an alternative. We spend countless hours each week searching for the best producers, tasting numerous wines, and have immersed ourselves in our passion for discovering wines that will exceed expectations.

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