The "Villa Mangiacane" winery is located in the municipality of San Casciano in Val di Pesa in the Chianti Classico area in the Italian region of
Tuscany. The name comes from Latin and means "big dog". Two large dog sculptures at the entrance portal are still the trademark today. The villa was built in the 15th century by Cardinal Francesco Maria Machiavelli. As architect, Michelangelo (1475-1564) was instrumental in drawing up the building plans. For a time, the villa was the main residence of the famous philosopher and politician Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527). In 1645, the villa was sold to the noble Mazzei family, who used the villa as a summer residence and as a farm for the production of wine and olive oil. Under the later owners, the villa fell into almost total disrepair.
In 2000, the estate passed into new ownership. The villa was thoroughly renovated and converted into a luxury hotel, the vineyards were replanted and a new winery was built. The total estate comprises 306 hectares, most of which are used for olive cultivation. Pavlos Chimonides is the manager, Graziano Santoro is the managing director, Valerio Versari is the cellar master and Marco Chellini is the oenologist. The vineyards cover 43 hectares between San Casciano Val di Pesa and Greve in Chianti at an altitude of 250 to 300 metres. They are planted with the red wine varieties Sangiovese (85%), Canaiolo Nero, Colorino del Valdarno and Merlot, as well as with the white wine varieties Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia del Chianti (M. Bianca Lunga). The wines are fermented in steel tanks and aged in French barriques and Slavonian 3.5 hectolitre oak barrels, depending on the type of wine. The product range includes various DOCG
Chianti-Classico wines as well as IGT Toscana. Around 50,000 bottles of wine are produced annually - 95% are exported. The winery is in the Consorzio Chianti Classico.
