Since its first issue in 1980, the Austrian Falstaff has become the world's leading German-language food magazine and that is why the Lifetime Achievement Award to Marco Caprai has great international value.

"A beautiful recognition, which rewards a 40-year-long commitment not only of myself, but of all our employees", says Caprai, proud and surprised.

So much so that in the pages of the Falstaff Wein Guide Italien 2025 dedicated to the Lifetime Achievement Award given to the Umbrian entrepreneur, we read: 'Lifetime Achievement Award for me? But I'm not that old yet, said Marco Caprai when we told him the news of his award. Yes, awards of this kind are usually given at the end of a long career. At 60 years of age, Marco Caprai is certainly not at the end of his creative rope. But in the almost forty years dedicated to wine, he has achieved something extraordinary. The name of Marco Caprai and the Arnaldo Caprai winery in Montefalco, Umbria, is inextricably linked to Sagrantino di Montefalco. Sagrantino is considered the grape variety with the highest tannin content in the world and had almost fallen into oblivion in the 1970s due to its low yield and the generous structure of its wines. Caprai brought Sagrantino back into vogue. Originally, however, it all started very differently. Marco had studied political science and had little to do with wine and viticulture. However, there was the Val di Maggio estate, which his father, the textile entrepreneur Arnaldo Caprai, had bought in the early 1970s. After some hesitation, Marco started working on the estate anyway and was initially mainly involved in management. But soon he was seized by ambition"..

Blame Sagrantino, a variety around which many myths still circulate. "Traditionally - Falstaff continues - Sagrantino was often vinified as a sweet wine with a noticeable residual sweetness. The sweetness made it possible to cushion the massive structure of the tannins. The result was a fascinating interplay between sweetness and bitter notes, an opulent sweet wine that was sure to go well with many medieval dishes. But the Middle Ages were over, sweet wines were no longer fashionable and everyone wanted dry and, above all, cheap wines. Marco Caprai, however, did not let himself be discouraged, planted Sagrantino and started producing dry and powerful Sagrantino. In the 1990s, everyone was asking for powerful wines, and Sagrantino was the wine of the moment. With his Collepiano he won over wine experts and in 1996 he raised the bar again with Sagrantino 25 anni. But Marco Caprai was far-sighted enough to realise that the boom would come to an end. With enthusiasm, therefore, he worked to make Sagrantino more refined and elegant. In 2015, he called Michel Rolland to Montefalco for this purpose. Rolland developed a full vinification specifically for Sagrantino, which gave the wine more fruit and made the tannins a little softer. But don't worry: Sagrantino has certainly not become an easy, pandering wine'.

The most significant expression of integral winemaking according to Falstaff 'is located in the Spinning Beautywhich is characterised by a fine bouquet with lots of fruit, and on the palate it offers impressive tannins, but still flows smoothly'.