[Interview] 'Sassicaia' Captivates South Korean Millennials and Gen Z... Third-Generation Super Tuscan Owner: "There Is No Compromise on Quality"

Producer of Italy's Super Tuscan "Sassicaia"
Interview with Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta

A view of Tenuta San Guido, an Italian winery. Screenshot from the Tenuta San Guido website.

"If the grapes are not of sufficient quality, we never make wine from them."

Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta, third-generation owner of the Italian winery Tenuta San Guido, made the remarks during an interview with The Asia Business Daily at Le Monde du Vin in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on Nov. 3. "We never compromise on quality," she said.

Tenuta San Guido produces Sassicaia, considered the first Super Tuscan wine, a category credited with bringing Italian wines to the world stage. Super Tuscans are wines made in Tuscany by departing from traditional regulations and blending grapes with international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon. Sassicaia, in particular, has been described as "the first innovation to change Italian wine."

Tenuta San Guido produces just 180,000 bottles of wine a year, including Sassicaia. In South Korea, Sassicaia became popular among Millennials & Gen Z who developed an interest in wine during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was sometimes resold at a premium.

Third-Generation Owner Priscilla: "Vineyards, Soil and Nature Conservation Matter Most"

Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta, a third-generation owner of Tenuta San Guido, which produces Sassicaia, a wine known as the “icon of Super Tuscans.” Courtesy of Ayoung FBC.

After studying art history in the United Kingdom and building a career in art galleries in London and Rome, Priscilla naturally joined the family business in the early 2000s. Her grandfather, Marquis Mario, laid the foundations by cultivating the vineyards, while her father, Marquis Nicolo, led the expansion and modernization of Tenuta San Guido. Priscilla travels the world’s wine markets, conveying the winery’s traditions and craftsmanship.

Priscilla places great importance on preserving her family’s ecological heritage, maintaining the land outside the vineyards as forest, wildlife reserves and a racehorse farm. Guided by her firm belief in quality, she focuses on preserving Sassicaia’s distinctive style - its elegance, high acidity, restrained oak influence and potential for long-term aging - even when winemakers or generations change.

"Of the 2,500 hectares of land owned by Tenuta San Guido, we grow grapes on only about 120 hectares. We have maintained the philosophy passed down from my grandfather of preserving the diversity of the wilderness, forests and animals as they are," she said. "Grapes harvested from vineyards with a short growing season or that have not been properly managed do not produce the quality we want. We can make high-quality wine only by bringing out the unique characteristics of each vineyard and considering a range of factors together when making the wine."

"A Perfect 100-Point Score That Endures Across Generations"

Until 1967, Sassicaia was made in limited quantities for family and friends. Its name includes "Sassi," the Italian word for "stones" or "pebbles." The wine is made by blending 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Cabernet Franc grown in a pebbly area, then aging the wine in French oak for about 24 months. It has a deep ruby color and aromas of blackcurrant, black cherry, cedar, mint, graphite and Mediterranean herbs. Its high acidity and precise tannin structure give it the potential to age for more than 20 to 30 years.

Sassicaia is considered more powerful and structured than Cabernet Sauvignon from Bordeaux or Napa Valley. This is due to differences in the soil and climate where the grapes are grown. The nearby sea lends the wine greater freshness, salinity and minerality than wines from Bordeaux or Napa Valley.

The 1985 vintage became legendary after receiving a perfect 100-point score from renowned wine critic Robert Parker. The 2016 and 2021 vintages also received 100 points from Parker and were hailed as "the pinnacle of Sassicaia." The 2023 vintage, which is due to be released soon, has also received a perfect 100-point score, raising expectations among consumers around the world.

"Preferring one vintage over another is an entirely personal judgment," Priscilla said. "However, we make wine with the firm belief that we never compromise on quality and, in fact, that quality is the one thing we cannot compromise on." She added, "Sassicaia offers a complex bouquet and flavor when aged for a long time. The Sassicaia 2022 vintage has some less-than-ideal aspects because the grapes grew in generally warm conditions, while the 2023 vintage was grown in more classic and typical conditions."

"It Is Important to Preserve and Develop the Family's Traditions"

A view of Tenuta San Guido, a winery in Tuscany, Italy. Courtesy of Ayoung F&C.

The history of Tenuta San Guido dates back to 1940. Marquis Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, Priscilla's grandfather, began growing Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in Bolgheri, an area with soil combining sand, clay and limestone near the sea and hills. This was a departure from Tuscany's traditional focus on Sangiovese.

At the time, Marquis Mario ran a farm where racehorses were trained and grew grapes on a small, one-hectare plot to enjoy wine with family and friends. Wine made from that one-hectare vineyard was enjoyed only within the family. But in 1971, the winery brought a wine made from grapes harvested in 1968 to market. In collaboration with the Antinori family, a relative of the Incisa della Rocchetta family, it created Sassicaia, which won acclaim around the world. Marquis Mario was the brother-in-law of Marquis Nicolo Antinori, who led the Antinori family.

Sassicaia demonstrated that Bolgheri could produce world-class Cabernet-based wines. In 1994, in recognition of its outstanding quality under Italy's four-tier system of wine classifications - DOCG, DOC, IGT and VdT - introduced in 1963 to protect wine quality and origin, it became one of the rare single-estate wineries to receive its own appellation: Bolgheri Sassicaia DOC.

"My grandfather loved Bordeaux wines and grew only a very small quantity of grapes to enjoy with family and friends," Priscilla said. "Even today, we grow grapes on only part of the land owned by our family, and we continue the philosophy passed down from my grandfather of preserving the diversity of the wilderness, forests and animals as they are."

At Tenuta San Guido, Priscilla, her cousins and other family members divide responsibility for vineyard management, winemaking and business operations according to their areas of expertise. The winery employs a team of specialists, with about 200 staff members based on site. Priscilla believes it is important to pass on to the next generation the tradition of respecting the land and nature.

Priscilla said, "Given our family's long history, I emphasize the need to pass our traditions on to the next generation and develop them further. I also teach them to respect the land, life and nature."

"South Korean Consumers Are Wine Experts"

Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta, a third-generation owner of Italian winery Tenuta San Guido, poses for a commemorative photo during her visit to Korea with Le Difese (from left), Sassicaia 2023, and Guidalberto. Courtesy of Ayoung FBC.

Priscilla is paying close attention to young consumers in South Korea. She said younger consumers are highly interested in wine and have a strong understanding of it. "South Korean consumers ask a lot of good questions, know a great deal about wine and seem very well educated," she said. "In 2025, they asked only about Sassicaia, but this year there have also been many questions about Guidalberto, which I found very interesting."

Tenuta San Guido is also putting considerable effort into Guidalberto and Le Difese, wines that follow Sassicaia. Guidalberto, first released with the 2000 vintage, is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. It combines the rich aromas and soft texture of Merlot with structure and aging potential.

Le Difese was first released with the 2002 vintage and blends Cabernet Sauvignon with Sangiovese. Its freshness, supple structure and the bright acidity characteristic of Tuscan Sangiovese make it a relatively approachable wine.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.