Brief History of Casa Vinicola Fossi Duilio 

More then a century ago my Grandfather Duilio at the age of 27 in December 28th. 1919 founded the individual Company by the name “Chianti Fossi” active in the wholesaler trade of wines.

First important documented activity dated October 22,1920 is a purchase contract of 600 hectoliters of Carmignano wine directly from the producer, quite a considerable volume for that time for a recent estabilished company,

In partnership with his younger brother Diego they opened three wine bars and a restaurant in Trieste and he used those facilities in north-east of Italy to distribute his wines.

three years later on October 29^th. 1922 when he was only thirty years old following the proposal of the Italian Minister of Agriculture he was awarded by the Italian King Vittorio Emanuele III of the Title of “Cavaliere” in the order of the Crown of Italy at that time he was already exporting wines in Libia and South America,

The letter was addressed to: Cavaliere Duilio Fossi Wine exporter

in 1923 he requested and obtained the authorization to use the Royal Coat of arms and Brevetto della Real Casa

in 1924 he partecipated at the fifth International exposition in Milan acting as agent and promoter of most of  Tuscan wine producers, he received official recognition and gratitude for representing in the best possible way the wines from Tuscany by the President of “Comitato di difesa del vino Italiano”

Duilio used to personally load on a dedicated rail track next to our original cellar, small wood cask full of wine to be delivered to Trieste and jump on the train with it to later come back home by bicycle.

My father Gianfranco did that trip on the way up during second world war in 1941 all by him-self when he was just 19 years old, leaving from Montepiano in the countryside of Prato near Florence at 10,15 PM on a full moon night,arriving in Bologna after 3 hours, the picture was made in Padova where he arrived at 8 AM to finally arrive in Trieste at 7,45 PM

In 1940 Fossi was exporting his Chianti 1929 to the United States of America.

I personally inherited the wine passion from my grandfather, when I was about eight years old he took me in my first wine trip to Apulia to meet with his brokers and suppliers later when I was 18 I started to work part time in the cellar and to go with my father and grandfather to taste wine from producer of Chianti and Chianti Classico, in the summer of 1979 when I was twenty one years old I made a summer trip by myself travelling all around the US by Greyhound bus starting from New York to Miami, New Orleans,,Grand Canyon, San Francisco, Edmonton in Canada and back to New York, when back in Italy I made militar service in the Air Force for one year after that a good friend of my father Aaron Millman who was in partnership with his daughter Sidney  and Mike Downey in the ownership of Mayflower wine and Spirits a wine shop in Washington D.C. invited me to make an experience in their shop, it was funny that after loading a container of wine at my cellar, I ended up unloading the same container in the back of the shop in Washingtom, I spent there about four months during the busy Fall season and after staying for a while at Sidney apartment I was then invited by Mike to join his family, Peggy his wife and their child Shannon and Brennan that are running now the Import business estabilished by Mike and Peg at the end of 1998, it was easy to create with them a fantastic relationship, from Mike, Sidney, Aaroon and also Helen(Aaron’s wife) I have learn a lot about wine, business and relations, unfortunately Mike passed away too early in 2002, but luckly I have been able to share with him and his friends almost twenty years of fantastic experiences, for several years I have travelled a lot all through the States to promove my wines but also to share my wine passions even with any regular consumer I could meet in a wine maker dinner or may be in a wine shop during a tasting. The wine business has changed quite a bit over the course of these years, it is much more competitive every day but I still looking for new wines and still get excited when I found something that I considered excellent un “Portento” this was the exclamation of my grandfather when he tasted an unique wine!