The aristocratic Grifoni family originally hailed from Umbria and Tuscany. The house of Cocci, on the other hand, belonged to the southern Marches' land-owning middle classes. In the latter half of the 1800s, the two families intermarried and formed a new lineage: the Cocci Grifonis.
In the years immediately subsequent to World War II, Cocci Grifoni was synonymous with a long-standing tradition in the extensive cultivation of cereals - a decisive economic factor in those precarious times, in the Piceno area.
In 1953, Domenico's premature death marks a sudden turning point: his youngest child, Guido, takes charge of the family company. Guido, though only eighteen at the time, is earnest, single-minded - even obstinate... At any rate, definitely farsighted. He senses Italian winemaking is about to come into its own, and feels the need for a well integrated, streamlined, competitive company rather than the obsolete, sharecropping operation handed down to him.
Thus was it in the early 1960s Guido purchased, together with his wife Diana, 23 hectares of land (57 acres: San Basso, now yielding one of the finest Cocci Grifoni wines), choosing to devote them entirely to grape-growing.
In 1968, the Rosso Piceno Superiore DOC appellation came into being. From this moment onwards, Cocci Grifoni is part of the official Piceno winemaking history. 1970 sees the first Rosso Piceno Superiore ever produced in the exclusive area mapped out by the DOC regulations - 13 communes in the Ascoli Piceno province. Few years later, another historic DOC (a white one this time) is introduced: Falerio dei Colli Ascolani.
Nearly four decades down the road, the estate's innovative drive, the family's ceaseless effort to enhance and develop territorial identity through the region's most significant native grapes, have far from worn themselves out - as testified by Cocci Grifoni's constant growth, technological progress, clonal research (concerning, in particular, such little known whites as Passerina and Pecorino: the latter was rediscovered by Cocci Grifoni in 1984 and ultimately recognized as a DOC in 2001).
The Cocci Grifonis have met numerous difficult challenges and oftentimes chose to go against the mainstream, relying solely on their deep-felt convictions and intuition rather than convenient trends. Their strength and authenticity are firmly rooted in the Piceno soil and its heritage, as well as in their own vision and dedication.
Today, the Cocci Grifoni estate counts a total of 80 hectares (198 acres) and boasts avant-garde production methods and technology. The new generations flank Guido, father, grandfather and pioneer, in his commitment to consistent excellence and to expressing the soul of a unique terroir.