Meet the Antinoris of Tuscany

60 Minutes ran an interesting piece last night on the great Antinori family of Tuscany. The dynasty has been making wine for an incredible 26 generations – putting it among the oldest family-run businesses on Earth. (A recent study found only 15 percent of family businesses survive past the second generation.) 60 Minutes focused on the fact that minus a traditional male heir, patriarch Piero Antinori, has happily found his three daughters to be interested in continuing the family tradition. And a profitable one it is…Antinori sold some 17 million bottles of wine last year – that’s $200 million worth. The family owns vineyards all over Italy (concentrated in Tuscany) but runs the business from Palazzo Antinori in Florence, which has been in the family since 1506. The television piece didn’t mention it but the family also owns Tombolo Talasso, a fantastic spa on the Tuscan coast that Dream of Italy reviewed two years ago.