The Tuscan Duet Who Brought Bocelli to Life

The Tuscan Duet Who Brought Bocelli to Life

If you are a wine enthusiast, you may have heard of the name Bocelli, a family that has owned a vineyard in Tuscany for centuries. One brother, Andrea, became a famous opera tenor singer in a career which began when his demo tape got into the hands of Luciano Pavarotti, thanks to the Italian rock star Zucchero.

Andrea was then invited on tour with Zucchero, where they performed “Miserere” together, and performed at Pavarotti’s annual charity gala concert ‘Pavarotti International.” Andrea became famous and toured around the world singing, while his brother Alberto stayed home and learned how to run the family wine business.

Andrea’s theory

Andrea abstained from drinking while on tour, but at the end of a performance, he is known to sit down and have one of his favorite wines—a glass of Terre di Sandro Sangiovese, made from his family’s winery. Tied to the world of opera and the world of wine, Andrea Bocelli tried to keep the two separate, but his effort was in vain and eventually he set up a sample booth at his concerts, which resulted in boosted revenues for the family wine business.

Andrea’s theory about singing is that you should not mix drinking and singing because it decreases the quality of the sound your voice can produce.

In 2000, brothers Alberto and Andrea took over the family winery and wanted to bring new blends and grow the business. Today, Alberto oversees the winery management with his son Alessio. The Bocelli Family Wines now produce nine wines including, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, Canaiolo, Colorino, Malvasia and Trebbiano.

Also read: The History of Winemaking in Southern Tuscany

The family has also opened a restaurant and wine bar in the UK called Bocelli 1831. Andrea had given his father his word that he and his brother would produce the highest-quality wine. He could taste the difference between wine he had while traveling the world performing, and the traditional way Tuscans made wine. His brother Alberto had always wanted to work in architecture and put his knowledge to use in 2000 when their father passed away and the brothers decided to renovate the vines. They have now become experts and have successfully launched several popular wine lines.

Want to read more about Andrea Bocelli? Try reading this book!

References

Andrea Bocelli was discovered by Pavarotti. (n.d.). Retrieved from Classic fm: https://www.classicfm.com/artists/andrea-bocelli/guides/andrea-bocelli-facts/pavarotti-big-break/?fbclid=IwAR26aL2x4NVe__XyZJpDVS5ginvxDCbfCTduKigGyCIpb6FapH-dUiQh6cQ

Bicks, E. (2020, Nov 30). Congenital Glaucoma: Inside Andrea Bocelli’s Disease Causing His Blindness. Retrieved from Heavy: https://heavy.com/entertainment/andrea-bocelli-blind-how-congenital-glaucoma/

Estate Wines. (n.d.). Retrieved from Bocelli 1831 Estate Wines: https://www.bocelli1831.com/en/catalogo/14972/Shop