Montalcino, Tuscany
It all stems from Ludmilla Temertey's passion for Montalcino (and Brunello), here in an interview.
The Temertey are originally from the Donbass area although their roots come from the Greek community in Crimea. They later moved to Canada where they became full citizens.
As mentioned, Ludmilla is a great lover of Tuscany, discovered it in 1978 and moved there in 1996. In 1997, she restored Scarnacuoia, an abandoned 13th-century farmhouse, renamed Casa Raia in honour of Raissa Temertey, the family matriarch.
In 2006, Ludmilla's daughter Kalyna and her husband Pierre Jean Monnoyer started tending the vineyards, soon creating what Casa Raia is now, which is by far one of the most brilliant realities of the entire territory.
Pierre Jean produces natural wine with a very precise philosophy espoused by more and more people: wine is made in the vineyard (The Vine determines the Wine).
Monnoyer is a globetrotter and in 2002 he met Kalyna in Dali, in the bar-restaurant he had opened. Shortly afterwards, the two married in Nice, the city where Pierre Jean grew up, before moving to Montalcino in 2006.
He has prestigious experiences in Fonterenza and Pian dell'Orino, where he learns to be a natural vigneron.
Important dates: in 2011, terraces were planted around Casa Raia to grow to two hectares, in 2015 the company bought two more hectares in Castiglion d'Orcia to produce more Bevilo, and in 2019 Pierre Jean became the sole owner of the company.
Disarming quality and respect for nature, what else!