

A former wine estate of the Antinori family
The Golden Age
70 years later, his grandson, Duke Amerigo Antinori (1828-1902), at the head of an even larger estate, commissioned the famous Florentine architect Giuseppe Poggi to transform this country manor house into an aristocratic residence worthy of the family title of Duke of Brindisi which he has just inherited. It was the golden age of Villa Cosmiana, whose agricultural products (wine, oil, cereals and hams) were exported throughout Europe by merchants from Livorno.
In 1859, forced by the revolutionary turmoil which saw the exile of Grand Duke Leopold II, Duke Amerigo Antinori, leader of the resistance to the Piedmontese annexation, found refuge at the villa from where he led a fierce struggle to try to preserve the independence of Tuscany until its annexation by the new Kingdom of Italy in 1861.
Around 1890, Princess Maria Antinori-Aldobrandini (1870-1933), to whom Duke Amerigo gave the estate as a dowry, entrusted the famous Pisan architect Luigi Bellincioni with the task of modernising the villa in the Art-Nouveau style and enriching the Park with Liberty gardens. Assisted by her female estate manager, the fattoressa Maddalena, the princess specialised the estate in the production of blended wines and ensured its, despite the economic difficulties of the time, relative prosperity.
A long lethargy
With the death of Princess Antinori-Aldobrandini in 1933, the estate, which had more than 200 hectares and 35 farms, began to decline. The villa and gardens were neglected, agricultural production sold poorly and shrank, and massive emigration emptied the farms of their labor force.
After the sad years of war which saw the occupation of the villa and its pillage first by German troops, then by American troops who installed the village girls’ school in the large living room on the ground floor, the garden and residential areas of the estate were left abandoned, while the exploitation of agricultural land was struggling to restart.
At the end of the 1970s, the estate, completely bloodless, was dismantled and reduced to 35 hectares around the villa which were acquired and transformed into a pure wine estate by the former manager of the Aldobrandini princes. Despite undeniable viticultural successes and the enrichment of the estate thanks to new vineyards of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvuignon and Cabernet Franc, Villa Cosmiana was gradually invaded by brambles and weeds and sank into oblivion.

The Team

Sean Craig, Co-founder
Originally from Wales, Sean hails from a long line of farmers from the Welsh Borders. After a 30-year career in London and Paris, he has now ‘returned to the land’ to pursue his second career in the pursuit of excellence in wine making.
Working closely with Dott.ssa Barbara Tamburini, Sean and Barbara work tirelessly to produce both traditional and innovative internationally inspired wines which centre on the three pillars of Villa Cosmiana: restauration, respect and innovation.

Monica Rossi, Architect
Monica graduated in Architecture at the University of Florence in 1995 and quickly specialised in the interior and exterior restauration and reconstruction of some of Italy’s most prestige and historical buildings. Balancing between avant-gardist Florentine design calls and profound respect for historic Tuscanese tradition, Monica’s achievements amongst many others include the retauration of Palazzo Galassi in the historic centre of Montalcino and Villa Cezary in the historic centre of Castelmuzio.

Enzo Pietrini, Landscape Architect
Enzo graduated in Agronomy at the University of Pisa in 1993 and in Landscape gardening at the University of Turin in 1995. He has contributed to the restauration of many historical and prestigious Tuscan gardens including Palazzo Migliorati in San Miniato and Villa Mastiani-Brunacci in Pratello.
Enzo pays attention to respect the Tuscan landscape and traditions whilst creating a harmonious bridge between history and the future. His work has been presented at national gardening shows including Miflor, Vivere nel Verde and Giardini in Fiera and has had his work published in gardening magazines such as Italus Hortus, Informatore Agrario and Flortecnica.

Barbara Tamburini, Oenologist
Barbara graduated in Oenology at the University of Pisa in 2002 and quickly rose to become one of Italy’s leading oenologists. Her philosophy centres on embracing international scientific expertise in viticulture and wine making and a genuine respect for the spirit and harmony of the various wineland traditions, especially her native Tuscany to achieve excellence. She is regularly quoted by the Italian and internalional press, has appeared on national and international television as a leading judge in wine-production and has won numerous awards her most recent and notable being the Oscar for Best Oenologist, Bibenda 2019.
A renaissance
In 2018 Sean Craig and Jean-Louis Scandella visited it and, seduced by the poetic character of this abandoned estate, which had kept all its original historical elements, acquired it with the desire to bring it back to its former glory. Then began a vast program of restoration of historic buildings and gardens associated with a solid plan to take control of the vineyards and create new wines. After careful selection work, the restoration of the villa and its historic annexes was entrusted to the Florentine architect Monica Rossi, the reconstruction of the park and gardens to the landscape architect Enzo Piétrini, the reconstruction of the vineyards and the creation of the new wines to the famous Italian oenologist, Barbara Tamburini.
In 2023, after five years of heavy work carried out with scrupulous respect for the place and its history, Villa Cosmiana finally reopened its doors and, as in the times of Duke Amerigo Antinori or his daughter Princess Antinori-Aldobrandini, unveils once again to its visitors the richness of its artistic treasures, the splendor of its gardens and the excellence of its wines.
A consecration
In 2024, for the first time since 1926, Villa Cosmiana judged that the time had come to present its wines in two international competitions and obtained four medals (three bronze medals and one silver medal) from the British International Wine Challenge magazine as well as four medals (also three bronze medals and one silver medal) from the famous international magazine Decanter (Decanter World Wine Awards).
The rest of the story is still to be lived and written.

The Team

Sean Craig,
the winemaker

Jean-Louis Scandella,
The Collector

Barbara Tamburini,
The Oenologic Reference

Monica Rossi,
The Architect

Enzo Pietrini,
The Landscape Designer