Known as Italy’s ‘Map Man’ for good reason, Alessandro Masnaghetti’s books detail the diverse topography of Chianti Classico, Barbaresco and Barolo in multiple volumes.
Alessandro created his first maps in 1994 while working for visionary Italian wine writer Luigi Veronelli (described by Jancis Robinson as ‘the man who invented Italian wine’). Detailing the vineyards of Barbaresco, Treiso and Neive, these original maps sold very few copies, yet Veronelli’s enthusiasm for them fuelled Alessandro’s interest in capturing the topography of Italy’s great wine regions. His love of cartography is rooted in over 25 years of wine tasting, and this understanding of wine is crucial to the creation of his maps.
As Masnaghetti says, “My experience as a taster has been fundamental. Sometimes people say, “It’s only a map”. No. It’s not only a map. There is detailed commentary accompanying it. If you want to make a viticultural map, you need to understand viticulture and oenology.”
Each chapter of the books highlight the history, topography, soil and climatic variation of Chianti Classico, Barbaresco and Barolo’s MGA’s/UGA’s. These books are indispensable for anyone who is interested in the wines from these regions.
