Paolo Sartirano
Italy
Paolo knows where all the hidden gems of the prestigious Piedmont region of Italy are, and he is going to share them with us!
- We scoured Italy to find a real winemaker who knew the land backwards and forwards until we found an authentic Piedmont winemaker, Paolo Sartirano, the expert we've been looking for.
- Finally, an Italian winemaker who understands Naked and the potential to create great wines for the real wine drinkers without any of the sales or marketing bloat!
- Paolo is making famous Italian wines that you can actually afford to drink, and he's also uncovering hidden gems like Cortese, Barbera, and Langhe that are always over performing for their price.
Vineyard Location
Paolo Sartirano's Story
Paolo Sartirano's Story
"Why am I a winemaker? Because I was born in the Langhe area, surrounded by vineyards, grapes, barrels and wine.. and this was my destiny.. when you are born in the vineyards, you cannot leave them!
My family has been producing wines since 1871. My grandfather Giovanni Sartirano began to set up the sales structure alongside the production of wines. He was forced to stop during the two World Wars. After the Second one, when the recovery of the economy was slow and difficult, he could count on the precious help and passion of his two sons, Giovanni (my father) and Piero (my uncle). They continued building up the business, branching out and stepping up the distribution of the wines. When me and my cousin Guido joined the company, at the end of the 1980s, we were young, passionate and with a lot of projects for the future! And today I feel the same enthusiasm .. every time I taste the grape from my vineyards I think about the time this will turn into wine and will arouse feelings in all my friends. This is the most fascinating thing: the awareness of giving emotion.
In 2006 I reached the Rifugio dell'alpetto (Monviso Mountain - Piemonte). During a well deserved break with a glass of good wine, I met Marco. He was there for an experience of Food at High Altitude. We started talking about wine, food, about how a wine should be to be a good one.. I discovered he was a winemaker too, with a degree at the same school, the Scuola Enologica di Alba ( he enrolled a few years later than me...) He had a good experience, a guy that knew how hard is working in the vineyards.. we had the same opinion: a good wine should be enjoyed by everybody. Why are piedmontese wines only for the privileged, wines to be opened only on great occasions We made a challenge together: create good wines from the Langhe area that can be drunk and enjoyed by all our friends. From that day Marco became part of the Sartirano Team.
After the Scuola Enologica di Alba, Marco graduated at the University of Turin. Then he moved to France for a few months and then in different Italian regions to acquiring experience in the wine-making process. I worked in different wineries, I saw different ways of working in the vineyard and in the cellar. And then I created my idea of making wines. My philosophy is to produce sustainable and good quality wines. A wine should leave a strong impression on the drinker, fruity and floral on the nose, smooth and full on the palate. I think that the first feeling you have when you taste a wine is the most important for the final judging, that's why my wines are clear, beyond any doubt. The big red wines, like the Barolo, should be powerful, elegant, silky, but still wines to be drunk and not to be left in the cellar to gather dust! When I started working with Paolo at his winery, I finally found a place where I could work following my philosophy of making wines. And this great experience has been going on since that day, thanks to Paolo!
"Our greatest satisfaction" says Paolo "was when Luca Gardini, Sommelier World Champion, tasted our Barolo and exclaimed: 'I can feel the perfume and taste of the Langhe soil!' This matches exactly with our philosophy: to produce wines that well express our territory. What we don't want our customers and friends to feel in our wines, is the anger of the bad times, for example the hailstorm of 4th August 2012, where the production of Barbera and Dolcetto vineyards of the Bivasca was completely destroyed! In those moments I would like to leave everything and go away.. but then I see my son and I realize why I'm doing this job.. and I find the reason to persevere and overcome difficulties!"
We would like to remind our customers and friends that they don't have to wait for a special occasion to open a bottle of good wine, but that it's a bottle of good wine that creates the good occasion to open it!!
We have a dream: to buy a few oak-wooden vats for the vinification of the Nebbiolo grapes to produce a special selection of Barolo.. we hope one day to fulfill this dream, with your help!"
