Riccardo Cotarella
Winemaker
Born in Monterubaglio, near the town of Orvieto, Riccardo Cotarella comes from a family that has been in the winemaking business for many generations. As a young man, under the guidance of his father, Riccardo actively participated in the day to day operations of his family’s business until he decided that it was time to further his studies with a degree in winemaking sciences.
In 1968, Riccardo graduated from the prestigious Enology and Viticulture School of Conegliano in the Veneto region. The same year, he started his winemaking career at the Conte Vaselli winery.
In 1979, Riccardo and his brother Renzo started the Falesco Winery. The principal aim at Falesco was, and still is, to rediscover and promote the value of Lazio’s traditional grape varieties. At Falesco, Riccardo developed the blockbuster Vitiano wines with their intense flavors and soft textures, as well as the very special Marciliano and Montiano releases.
In 1981, Riccardo decided to further expand his activities to include “consulting winemaker,” in an effort to acquire more experience on a wider range of grape types, soils and weather conditions. Today, Riccardo is sharing his wealth of knowledge not just among his team of technicians throughout Italy and Bordeaux, but also to an ever growing group of young students attending the University of Tuscia near Viterbo where Riccardo is now a fulltime professor of enology and viticulture.
Mr. Cotarella currently presides over, or is a member of, various regional tasting commissions that oversee the certification of certain DOC wines. These include the wines of the Orvieto, Colli Amerini and Est! Est!! Est!!! di Montefiascone appellations.
Riccardo was the first Italian winemaker to be invited to work in Bordeaux, and today his customers there include Chateau Rolland de By, Chateau La Clare and Chateau Tour Seran. In Italy, Riccardo’s clients include: Coppo (Piemonte), Di Majo Norante (Molise), Galardi (Campania), La Carraia (Umbria), Montevetrano (Campania), Monti (Abruzzo), Morgante (Sicilia), and Sportoletti (Umbria).
Mr. Cotarella owns and operates an agricultural and enological consulting company that employs 10 young graduates of the University of Viterbo.
La Carraia was founded in 1976 by the Gialletti and Cotarella families. Riccardo Cotarella, one of the world’s most respected authorities on the production and marketing of Italian wines, is the co-owner and winemaker. The winery owns a total of 198 acres located in the heart of the Orvieto Classico appellation. 172 acres are dedicated to the production of Orvieto Classico, the remainder are planted with Merlot, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Montepulciano grapes. 1995 marked the first release of , a joint venture between La Carraia and Winebow. This wine represents a new style of , one that is aged in small oak barrels. and , the two top shelf wines produced at La Carraia, are known for consistent quality and overall versatility. These wines are clearly two excellent examples of Mr. Cotarella’s mastery with red grapes. La Carraia, thanks to its broad and diverse portfolio, it is able to satisfy the needs of both the casual, value oriented consumer with products like Sangiovese and Orvieto Classico, as well as the most demanding collector with a wine like Fobiano.
