Luca De Ferrari, you now work side-by-side with the winery’s oenologist. What’s your input as a producer and a grower?

I joined the winery officially in the early 1990s and my input has always been stylistic rather than strictly technical. I’ve always felt that this ambition to produce great wine is something of a privilege and although I’d originally intended to go into the diplomatic service, deep down I realized that I’d never be able to leave the family business behind. Fate decided for me and I’m now a professional grower, so professionally speaking I’ve also matured because the winery demands constant commitment.

Ours is an ongoing mission to create pleasing, complex wines with style and personality. I still rely on the technical advice of Mr Castelli and – more recently – on that of our in-house oenologist, Mary Ferrara. As far as I’m concerned, while our winery has remained true to its traditional ties and to Cervognano’s unique roots, it’s nonetheless one of the most cutting-edge on the Montepulciano scenario at the moment. My experiences have led me into taking up this huge challenge, especially as far as sangiovese is concerned, because our three hectares produce extremely complex grapes and wines.

My challenge is to tame and balance the richness and complexity typical of this territory. So I’m on tenterhooks as each harvest matures, hoping against hope that I’ll get to try some new techniques and always determined to bring forth this soil’s secret fruit. After all, I’m a Cervognano grower and it’s a privilege for me to produce an excellent sangiovese. But I’m always aware that I have to respect our aficionados and that’s why new marketing and corporate communication strategies also include plans to increase appointments for meeting and interacting with the end consumer. So we’ll be opening a new hospitality centre at the winery but also going out in person to tasting evenings arranged all over Italy. It’s our duty to go and meet customers who have high expectations of us and who have rewarded us with uninterrupted trust over the years”.