When we think of women who broke the mould, names such as Marie Curie, the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and a pioneer in the study of radioactivity; Virginia Woolf, a revolutionary in narrative and feminist writing; or Frida Kahlo, who challenged artistic norms and explored identity and gender with every brushstroke, come to mind.
In the realm of Italian wine, Giovanna Rizzolio holds a similar place. In the early 1990s, she was one of the few women running a winery in the Langhe, paving the way for future generations of female winemakers. Under her leadership, the small family-owned azienda Cascina delle Rose, acquired by the Rizzolio family in 1948, began in 1992 to label its wines with its own name.
The estate, spanning a mere 7.5 hectares, combines vineyards, forest, hazelnut groves, and a small olive grove. Its clay-limestone soils of marine origin and the sloping vineyards in the crus Tre Stelle and Rio Sordo define the landscape of Barbaresco and the character of its wines. The viticulture is organic, natural, and meticulous, with manual harvesting and minimal intervention in the vineyard, aiming to cause the least environmental impact possible. Each plot, some planted nearly a century ago, is tended with the dedication of those who know the land and respect tradition.
Barbaresco Marcorino, originating from two plots in the Marcorino cru of Neive, is a wine that embodies the entire philosophy of Cascina delle Rose. A nebbiolo that macerates with the skins for 30 days, followed by malolactic fermentation at 20 °C. The wine then ages for 22 months in Slavonian oak barrels of 10 to 17 hectolitres and remains 6 months in the bottle before being released to the market, without filtration or fining, with a single bottling.
Cascina delle Rose Barbaresco Marcorino is a wine of purity and depth, elegant and with its own character. It is a testament to the visionary spirit of Giovanna Rizzolio, a pioneer who paved the way for women in viticulture and whose vision is perfectly reflected in this wine.