The Expertise behind Jollie

Jollie is built on a rare combination of expertise in wine, cheese, hospitality and regenerative agriculture. Behind the ecosystem stand two complementary professional journeys that have accumulated decades of experience across some of Europe's most respected food and wine institutions.

From vineyard management to wine education, from cheese maturation to hospitality, from agricultural engineering to sensory analysis, this expertise forms the foundation of every Jollie project. It guides our commitment to authenticity, quality and transmission, while supporting our vision of a living and regenerative Tuscany.

Because for us, expertise is not an end in itself. It is a tool for preserving, sharing and continually renewing the traditions that make this region unique.

Pierre Gouttenoire

Wine, Cheese and the Art of Regeneration

Pierre Gouttenoire's journey is rooted in the limestone plateaus of southern Aveyron, a few kilometres from Roquefort, one of the world's most iconic cheese-producing regions. Born into a farming family where livestock, pastures and traditional food production were part of everyday life, he developed from an early age a deep connection with agriculture, craftsmanship and the relationship between landscapes and taste.

Wine Expertise

Driven by a passion for understanding how nature, farming and gastronomy interact, he pursued agricultural studies and graduated as an Agricultural Engineer from Montpellier SupAgro, one of France's leading agronomy schools. He later obtained his diploma in Oenology and continued his education through some of the wine world's most demanding programmes. He completed Stage 2 of the prestigious Master of Wine programme in London and earned the Highest Honors distinction from the Wine Scholar Guild for his expertise in French wine regions.

Over more than fifteen years, Pierre built an extensive professional career across some of France's most respected wine regions.

At the age of twenty-six, he became Estate Manager of Mas Amiel in Maury, one of the benchmark estates of Roussillon. He subsequently joined the Robert Skalli group in Sète as Head of Viticulture and Winemaking, working under the direction of renowned viticulturist Philippe Tolleret and collaborating with internationally acclaimed consultant Michel Rolland.

After serving as Technical Director of the Cave des Producteurs de Jurançon, he joined the AdVini group, first as Wine Director for Maison Rigal in Cahors and later for Antoine Moueix in Bordeaux, where he oversaw wine production and vineyard operations within some of France's most prestigious appellations.

These experiences provided him with an in-depth understanding of the entire wine value chain—from vineyard management and terroir expression to winemaking, ageing, quality control and international markets.

In 2009, during a wine tour in Tuscany led by Rebecca Christophersen, Pierre discovered not only a new region but also a new vision of life. Their meeting marked the beginning of a shared adventure that would eventually lead them to settle permanently in Tuscany and build what would become the Jollie ecosystem.

Since 2011, Pierre and Rebecca have progressively developed a collection of interconnected projects dedicated to authentic food culture, hospitality, craftsmanship and regenerative agriculture. Today, these activities include Grape Tours, Formaggioteca Terroir, Podere Campo Sasso and the wider Jollie ecosystem.

Cheese Expertise and Affinage

Alongside his expertise in wine, Pierre has cultivated a lifelong passion for cheese. Growing up near Roquefort naturally nurtured an appreciation for traditional cheesemaking, but it was through his relationship with the legendary Mons family in Roanne that he deepened his knowledge of cheese maturation and affinage. During several immersive stays, the Mons family shared with him the foundations of the French art of affinage: understanding microbial ecosystems, managing humidity and airflow, selecting cheeses for ageing, and guiding each cheese towards its optimal expression.

These experiences inspired the creation of the cheese ageing caves at Podere Campo Sasso and continue to influence the philosophy of Formaggioteca Terroir. For Pierre, affinage is not merely a technical process; it is the continuation of the farmer's work and a dialogue between nature, time and craftsmanship.

Today, his expertise combines viticulture, oenology, cheese maturation, regenerative agriculture and hospitality. Through Jollie, he seeks to demonstrate that tradition is not something to be preserved unchanged. Instead, it must be continuously regenerated, adapted and transmitted to new generations while remaining faithful to its origins.

His work reflects a simple conviction: the future of food and wine lies in reconnecting people with the landscapes, producers and skills that give them meaning.

Rebecca Christophersen Gouttenoire Connecting People, Places and Taste

Rebecca Christophersen Gouttenoire's story begins in Aarhus, Denmark, where she was born to a Danish father and a Canadian mother. Raised between Scandinavian pragmatism and North American openness, she developed from an early age a curiosity for people, cultures and experiences that would eventually lead her far beyond her homeland.

In 1995, driven by a free spirit and a desire for adventure, she left Denmark with a one-way ticket and no clear plan beyond discovering the world on her own terms. What began as a journey soon became a new life in Tuscany, a region whose culture, food traditions and landscapes would profoundly shape her future.

During her early years in Italy, Rebecca held various jobs while learning the language, building local relationships and immersing herself in Florentine life. It was through hospitality and gastronomy that she found her true vocation. Naturally drawn to human interaction and storytelling, she developed a deep appreciation for the ability of food and wine to bring people together and create meaningful connections.

Hospitality and Wine Tourism Expertise

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, she became a partner in Baldovino, one of Florence's most vibrant and influential restaurant-bars of the period. Located in the historic center of the city, Baldovino became a meeting place for locals, artists, international visitors and food lovers, helping shape Rebecca's vision of hospitality as an experience rooted in authenticity rather than formality.

Never content to follow conventional paths, she later became one of the driving forces behind Officina della Cucina Popolare, a restaurant project dedicated to regional cuisine, traditional recipes and accessible gastronomy. Shortly after opening, the restaurant was selected for inclusion in the prestigious Slow Food Osterie d'Italia Guide in 2009, an important recognition of its commitment to quality, local traditions and convivial dining.

At the same time, Rebecca was among the true pioneers of wine tourism in Tuscany.

Long before wine experiences became a global trend, she recognized the growing desire of international visitors to meet producers, discover authentic wineries and understand the stories behind the wines. In 2004, she began designing and organizing wine tours across Tuscany, building relationships directly with family-owned wineries and creating one of the region's first dedicated online platforms for wine tourism.

These early initiatives laid the foundations for what would later become Grape Tours, a company that has since introduced tens of thousands of visitors to the wines, food traditions and landscapes of Tuscany.

Believing that education is one of the most powerful ways to deepen appreciation for food and wine, Rebecca also created the first Tuscan Wine School. The concept was initially launched in Siena in 2011 before expanding to Florence in 2013, offering structured wine education programs designed for both enthusiasts and professionals seeking a deeper understanding of Italian wine culture.

Her commitment to lifelong learning has remained a defining characteristic throughout her career.

Olive Oil and Sensory Analysis

In 2013, she completed professional olive oil tasting certification through ONAOO (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Olio di Oliva) in Imperia, becoming part of a select group of specialists trained in the sensory evaluation of olive oils.

Her passion for cheese led her to further studies with ONAF (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Formaggi), where she obtained certification in 2023, expanding her expertise in the tasting, evaluation and cultural heritage of Italian cheeses.

Wine, however, has always remained at the center of her professional journey.

In 2020, she achieved the Highest Honors distinction from the Wine Scholar Guild for Italian Wines, one of the most demanding educational programs dedicated to Italy's wine regions. Her expertise and teaching abilities led her to become the official Wine Scholar Guild instructor for Italy for several years, helping educate students from around the world and contributing to a greater understanding of Italian wine culture internationally.

Rebecca's career reflects a rare combination of entrepreneurship, hospitality, education and cultural mediation. She has spent decades creating bridges between producers and consumers, locals and visitors, traditions and contemporary lifestyles.

Together with Pierre Gouttenoire, whom she met in Tuscany in 2009, she has helped build the Jollie ecosystem—a collection of interconnected projects dedicated to wine, cheese, hospitality, regenerative agriculture and cultural transmission.

Today, her work continues to be guided by the same conviction that first brought her to Tuscany more than thirty years ago: that the most memorable experiences are created when authentic people, meaningful stories and exceptional products come together around a shared table.

Through Grape Tours, Formaggioteca Terroir, Podere Campo Sasso and Jollie, she continues to share Tuscany not as a destination, but as a living culture to be experienced, understood and passed on.