Il Rio, founded in 2003 by Paolo Cerrini and Manuela Villimburgo in the hills of Mugello about an hour outside Florence, is a pioneering estate redefining Tuscan winemaking through a cool climate lens. What began as Paolo’s passion project, planting just 350 vines in 1992, has evolved into a benchmark producer in a region not traditionally known for viticulture, thanks to its unique pedoclimatic conditions of clay soils and significant day to night temperature shifts. Specializing in Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc, Il Rio embraces sustainable, vineyard first practices including organic treatments, green pruning, and maintaining natural ground cover to promote balance and vine health. This meticulous care continues in the cellar through non invasive techniques such as gravity flow transfers, minimal intervention, and extended aging in wood, concrete, and bottle, resulting in wines defined by freshness, purity, and a true expression of Mugello’s distinctive terroir.
