Learn how to make natural wines and artisanal beer in Roccalbegna, Italy

Details

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  Description

  My name is Ugo and I was born in Florence in the hot July of 1983 (an excellent vintage!). My father Vittorio is an esteemed winemaker and self-taught oenologist and my mother Marta is the most beloved primary school teacher I’ve ever met.
  
  I grew up among the vineyards and olive groves of Carmignano (one of the ancient Medici wine appellations) and obtained an unlikely diploma as an accountant / programmer with excellent marks. I earned a second degree in viticulture and oenology at the faculty of agriculture in Florence –not without difficulty, considering my previous studies – while gaining hands-on experience in our family winery.
  
  In the meantime, by pure chance, I started to produce homemade beer together with my brother Gaddo after he had bought one of the first basic beer making kits. My brother lost interest in homebrewing quickly, but I grew so passionate about it that at a certain point I was convinced that I was meant to make beer not wine.
  
  But when you have certain things in your DNA, there is little you can do… In fact, in 2011, as a starry-eyed 28-year-old, I left my comfortable permanent job in the family business (where my brother Gaddo and my sister Serena still work with different tasks) to move to Roccalbegna, my mother’s town, a lovely medieval village in the Tuscan Maremma at the foot of mount Amiata. The decision may have been influenced by overhearing my father repeating “Vignali could produce a great red wine…” when I was growing up. Or perhaps it’s because Roccalbegna is the place where I spent the most carefree times of my childhood: Christmas, Easter, and all those long summer holidays when we were happily off school.
  
  I bought about five hectares of uncultivated land divided into two different plots – Bandita and Vignali – and began my adventure by weeding out the spontaneous vegetation that had invaded the fields during decades of neglect.
  
  In 2014, I started the production of our artisan beer BRÒC and planted the first vineyard with red grape varieties. A vineyard with white ones followed in 2015. In 2021, our first wines were born: Ughetto and Armancione, both the results of the 2019 harvest.
  
  But this is only the beginning! Popping around my head, I have many more projects and ideas waiting for realization. All of them connected to my core values and the awareness of the great opportunities this region has to offer.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Farmstay help

  Hospitality/Tourism
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  Interests

  

  Events & social

  

  Van life

  

  Farming

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Music

  

  Camping

  

  Nature

  

  Sailing / Boating

  

  Hiking
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  You can learn how to cultivate vineyard and... of course... how to let degustate good wine and beer! We will organize a lot of music in the wine shop! Also, I've an active connection with an important Tibetan centre near here and we pratice "Dzog-Chen", a special theaching!

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  Host offers payment in line with the minimum wage

  This host offers accommodation and payment.

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  Help

  I need an help in my wineyards (for the tipical works that a wineyard need to produce good grapes...), works in cellar making wine (racking, bottling, ecc.) and in my wineshop (custmers accueil, cleaning, ecc.) that will be soon a winebar with live music! I can offer the base of salary for wage for agri workers in Italy!

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  Languages spoken

  Italian: Fluent
  English: Intermediate
  Spanish: Beginner

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  Accommodation

  I've a camper where you can stay. Important: smoking is not allowed inside camper! For food we can cook and eat togheter, it will be a pleasure! I've a well equipped kitchen for this!

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  What else ...

  You can have a lot of full immersion in real Tuscan nature and long walk in rural ways! Public transports are not so good here but I'm sure you'll don't need for it!

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  You'll find a real relaxing place to express all of your power!

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  Space for parking camper vans

  A lot of place where you can park. No one will hurt you for this at all!

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

  Donkey Janis

  Donkey Jimi

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