Coste del Vino

Brit-born Toby Owen went from studying engineering to working as a wine merchant. It was Nicholas Joly’s book on biodynamics that fueled his desire to make wine. He learned by working with the likes of Katia Nussbaum at San Polino, Casa Raia and Salicutti all in Montalcino. In 2018, he rented a 1-hectare plot of Cabernet, Merlot and Sangiovese on Amiata’s foothills. To date, he has cobbled together 10 tiny individual parcels totalling 2.5 hectares. His first wine, Rosso No1 is always Sangiovese-led but changes every year (and is sometimes even multi-vintage). The goal is immediate drinkability. Beyond that, the range is fascinatingly fluid. Perhaps Coste del Vivo needs to find a bit more consistency of identity but the raw materials, talent, humility and ambition are all there.