Born in Tuscany,
moved to the
Barolo hills
I hated wine at first! My hatred was definitely linked to childhood memories of running down to the cellar to fetch wine from the barrel. I absolutely loathed batting away cobwebs as I ventured into the darkness, only to be hit by the strong, vinegary smell of old wine. I always breathed a sigh of relief when I made it safely back to the light, all while making sure not to smash the bottle I was carrying!
I have spent over twenty years selling wine to customers all over the world.
One day, I said to Andrea (wine manager for Italian Wine Brands SpA), ‘Why don’t we make a wine we really love, no matter how much it costs or whether we can sell it or not?’
It’s always a bad idea to say that sort of thing to a winemaker. He was practically grinning from ear to ear. It’s like telling a child they can have whatever they want, no matter how much it costs.
And so began our Poggio del Concone adventures in 2017. A true Tuscan man, Andrea chose a great region for producing good wine. He looked for a patch of land where the grapes ripened to perfection, and the vineyards were just so. He was more than happy to spend money on our new venture, while I was already starting to get a bit worried.
The story of travelling wine is not just a fairy tale, it’s a true story! Andrea decided that once fermented, our wine would mature best in a set of new oak barrels in our Diano’Alba cellar in Barolo, which is home to a centuries-old wine-making tradition. My childhood memories of those dark, confined cellars are all but forgotten!
Poggio del Concone is matured in fragrant oak barrels in a truly magical setting, and with all the love and attention you devote to something you’re making just for yourself ( and a few friends).
Alessandro Mutinelli
Born in 1966, Alessandro entered the wine-making world by chance, despite having a background in finance. In 1997, he started selling his very first bottles on international markets. His continued success led to the founding of Italian Wine Brands SpA in 2015 – the first Italian wine company to be listed on the Milan Stock Exchange. Today, Alessandro is president and CEO of Italian Wine Brands and continues to make customers happy all around the world.
Andrea Bernardini
An oenologist, Andrea was born in 1979 and has since gained over 15 years’ experience making quality wines in Italy and abroad (including in South Africa, Greece and Eastern Europe). He is Italian Wine Brands SpA’s wine quality manager and as such, helps define the production techniques used by the Group’s various companies, coordinating a team of winemakers throughout Italy, with the aim of pleasing customers with some truly top-quality products.
