We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Filippo Magnani a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Filippo, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?

Since 1999, I have written extensively about wine and created exclusive wine journeys that uniquely blend classic premium experiences with less known, more authentic and just as much prestigious ones (I like to call them hidden gems!)

Our aim is to create a tailor made, unique & unrepeatable wine tour, which gives the opportunity to experience the Italian way of life that is so loved and respected around the world. As well as this, we enable the bringing together of global wine lovers and wine professionals, with Italian Food & Wine Producers throughout the Italian Regions. This is the philosophy of Filippo Magnani and Fufluns, the first Italian Wine Tour Company to create a series of itineraries that truly reflect the wine experiences in the “Bel Paese”.

“Exactly as with the blending of a great wine, to create an itinerary in Italy requires knowledge passion and love & appreciation of our home land. Often when we think of Luxury Wine Tours, we don’t only reflect on the obvious riches of our land, but to share authentic experiences which cannot be found elsewhere.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

I was born and raised in Suvereto, a beautiful, unspoilt medieval village on the coast of Tuscany, Italy. In 1996, I graduated with a degree in Hotel and Tourism management at the University of Economics in Florence, followed by an MBA in Hospitality Management at Brighton University (UK). During my studies and after my graduation, I worked as an F&B manager in several luxury hotel chains including Westin Hotels, Relais & Chateaux, and Kempinski Hotels in the United States, England, France, Germany, Spain and Italy.

I began my career in the world of wine in 1999 when, at the age of 26, I founded Fufluns, a travel boutique concierge company specialized in customised wine tours in Tuscany and other regions of Italy for both wine professional and enthusiasts. I speak English, French and German fluently.

After attending a number of tastings and trips in different wine countries I got the wine bug and I got a degree in 2001 at Le Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (France).

Two years later, I enrolled in the WSET programme. After a period of long, intense studies between Tuscany and London, I completed the WSET Diploma in 2006, which is considered one of the pinnacles of professional wine qualifications

…I was so honoured to have achieved such a great result. Being one of the very few people in Italy to have a WSET Diploma. That was the beginning of a deeper involvement in the global business of wine. Over the last 12 years I have been contracted by a host of different corporations to perform consultancy services such as wine buying, training, public speaking, wine writing and judging.

As an independent wine writer, I have developed partnerships with various wine magazines, the longest ongoing partnership is with Il Corriere Vinicolo, a trade wine review in Italy. I am also a Contributor for Decanter, Contributor of the International quarterly edition Wine World Magazine and a Contributor of the Wine Tourism Mag.

Thanks to my writing activity, I have been admitted as a permanent member of the Circle of Wine Writers (CWW) and the International Federation of Wine and Spirits Journalists and Writers (FIJEV). These highly respected professional associations include the majority of the most famous wine writers in the world.

I have been fortunate also to judge wines in France, Italy, Germany and UK in wine contests such as the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles and Mondial des Vins Extrêmes.

This has helped me to established deep working relationships with regional vignerons and winemaker associations.
The communication of wine is very important, and I have several rewarding roles that permit me to give back to the wine industry. In 2009, I also specialized in wine education.

Having a WSET diploma allows me to teach private or corporate courses in partnership with different APP (Approved Program Providers) throughout Italy. The WSET wine courses offer professional certification to students from the most internationally recognized institute in the world. Educator at the Masters in Hospitality directed by the Sole24ore Business school and by various wine consortia.

Over the years, it has been my privilege work with some of the most talented and knowledgeable people in the global wine industry – from retailers and top scientists to passionate wine growers and enthusiastic consumers. Specifically, in 2008 I was involved in the launch in Italy of Les Caves de Pyrene, a leading importer, agent, distributor and retailer of natural wines around the world from the UK.

That’s given me a comprehensive knowledge and vast experience for development of the overall marketing strategy, guidance on branding, packaging and pricing for wines.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Fufluns Wine Tours was founded in July 1999 in Suvereto, Tuscany with the express aim of pushing the borders of wine tourism, by focusing on the “Made in Italy” idea of show casing the best of Italian Wine & Food. Taking our company name from the Etruscan God of Wine, we were the first Tour Operator purely dedicated to wine tourism in Italy. The inspiration to create the company came after visiting Napa Valley in California in 1996 where wine tourism had already become well established.

An enthusiasm to explore the exciting potential in wine tourism in Italy led me to create this company with a fresh approach to wine tourism, which today some 25 years after its creation, involves a knowledgeable team and Wine Experts resulting in being considered a leader in its field.

From the very beginning, in order to design personalised top end itineraries, I travelled far and wide both at home in Italy and abroad, to explore at first hand the regions and the people involved in wine. Today, I understand that my journey into the discovery of wine will never end. This pioneering and ambitious project has been personally very fulfilling and it is also a way to thank those who have had faith in us and our project. From producers to wine makers, those working in this profession on a daily basis, it is thanks to their support, that I am able to bring a huge wealth of knowledge to this project.”

How did you build your audience on social media?

To celebrate the company’s 20th Anniversary in 2019, I launched two new websites: www.filippomagani.it which focuses on my work in the wine industry and also www.fufluns.com which encompasses the Tour Operating side of the business. Both are linked by a common concept of wine and are rebuilding their presence in the digital age. I am regularly active on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn with @filippomagnaniwine and I try to post informative contents with nice picture.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.filippomagnani.it
• Instagram: filippomagnaniwine
• Facebook: filippomagnaniwine
• Linkedin: filippomagnaniwine