Brancaia is a 120-acre estate in Radda in Chianti, Tuscany. It was founded in 1981 when Bruno and Brigitte Widmer, from Switzerland, fell in love with an abandoned Tuscan estate and purchased it. Within two years the couple was making wine and buying additional vineyards and estates, including an estate in Maremma in western Tuscany. Today the winery produces 400,000 bottles annually. Its flagship wine is Il Blu, a blend of 50% Sangiovese, 45% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Brancaia also makes Chianti Classico, a Cabernet Sauvignon blend sourced from its Maremma estate, and Sauvignon Blanc. Gambero Rosso, Italy’s leading wine journal, has awarded Il Blu a three glass award – the journal’s highest rating – for 11 years in a row. The journal notes that “Brancaia shows no let-up in quality.”