Francesco Folonari; Italian Vintner

Francesco Folonari, 60, the innovative general manager of one of Italy’s most prestigious Chianti wineries. Folonari entered the family firm, Chianti S.p.A. Ruffino, after the death of his father in 1951. He had served as general manager of the winery since 1966. In 1954, Folonari introduced screw-top wine bottles with a deposit added to the price to encourage recycling of the bottles. Both were firsts for the Italian wine market. Asked about his company’s policy of innovation, Folonari replied: “One must continually keep one’s mentality up to date, even for daily table wine.” In Brescia, Italy, on Feb. 12 after heart surgery.