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Meet the Winegrowers
Alessandro Castellani in Valpolicella Ca’ La Bionda was founded in 1902 by Pietro Castellani, Alessandro’s great grandfather, who was a passionate grape grower and winemaker. The east facing hillside vineyards extend over 29 hectares in the commune of Marano di Valpolicella, northwest of Verona, in the heart of the Valpolicella Classico zone. Only traditional varieties, including Corvina Veronese, Corvinone, and Rondinella are grown…
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Meet the Winegrowers
Sophie, Maxime, and Geneviève Barmès in the Clos Sand François Barmès wholeheartedly embraced the Austrian philosopher Rudolph Steiner’s belief in the interdependence of the forces of life, earth, and the cosmos. So in 1995, in order to undo the damage caused by decades of chemically dependent viticulture, he began the transformation of his vineyards to biodynamics. Today his son Maxime continues his work, growing the most…
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Meet the Winegrowers
Luca Ferraro, his mother, Antonella, his sister, Paola, and his wife, Giulana Danilo Ferraro set out with the goal of producing fine, estate-bottled Prosecco in the early 1980s when he was an oenology student. His father-in-law had a hectare of old Glera (the grape that used to be known as Prosecco), and sold the wine in in demijohn to locals. By the time we met him, his tiny winery was about the size of an American, two-car garage…
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Meet the Winegrowers
Anna Maria Abbona at her winery in Dogliani If there is any producer in Dogliani who perfectly embodies the idea of stewardship of her heritage, it is Anna Maria Abbona. She was working as a successful graphic designer in 1989 when her father told her that he was ready to retire and sell his vineyards, some of them planted in the 1930s by her great grandfather. Anna Maria couldn’t bear to see her roots torn out, so as a determined…
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Meet the Winegrowers
Steve Beckmen on Purisima Mountain Since 1994, when Tom and Steve Beckmen established their pioneering estate in Ballard Canyon, Beckmen Vineyards has grown into one of California’s top producers of Rhône varietal wines. Made from grapes grown exclusively on their own estate vineyards, their wines have contributed to Santa Barbara County’s reputation as one of the most highly regarded winegrowing regions in California. In 1996, the…
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