Leonardo Pizzolo
Owner
Leonardo Pizzolo was born in Verona on the 28th May 1969. After earning his degree in Economics, he joined the family’s bottling company. In 1998, together with his uncle Giorgio, began cultivating an old vineyard on the family’s estate in Abruzzo, later starting the Valle Reale winery. Leonardo initiated the Montepulciano project led by Prof. Leonardo Valenti.
Luciana Biondo
Agronomist
Luciana Biondo was born in Verbania on November 19, 1967. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture from the University of Milan in 1993 with a thesis on Integrated Vineyard Management. In the same year, she qualified as a Doctor of Agronomy. She immediately started a co-operation with the Institude of Arboreal Cultivation in the faculty of Agriculture in Milan, teamed with Prof. Leonardo Valenti, working on the different themes related to a modern management of the vineyards (clonal selection of different techniques in cultivation). In 2000, Luciana became agronomic supervisor of the estate Cottanera in Sicily where she gained experience in new training systems and on difficulties concerning the cultivation of international vines/varietals. Since 2004, she has been working the Montepulciano project at Valle Reale.
Alberto Moia
Agronomist
Alberto Moia was born in Milan on 26 December 1962. Earned his degree in Agronomy at the University of Milan, where one of his thesis advisers was Professor Leonardo Valenti. In early 2002, he was hired as agronomist to start a wide-ranging viticulture project for the Pizzolo family’s Valle Reale estate in Abruzzo. He cultivated new vines in Abruzzi and Umbria and established Valle Reale’s state-of-the-art vineyard management and production facilities.
Carlo Ferrini
Consulting Winemaker
Carlo Ferrini was born in Florence in 1954. He earned a BA in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Florence and is a certified oenologist and academician of wine and vine. A leading expert on Sangiovese, he served as head of the Technical Office of the Consorzio del Chianti Classico, and technical manager of the “Chianti Classico 2000” research project. Carlo was named Gambero Rosso’s Winemaker of the Year in 2000. He is the agronomic and oenological supervisor for Castello di Fonterutoli and Tenuta Belguardo, and other top wineries
Leonardo Valenti
Consulting Agronomist
Leonardo Valenti was the Professor of Viticulture at the University for Viticulture and Oenology in Milan. He was the leader of Valle Reale’s Montepulciano project. Has also lead several groundbreaking research projects on other native Italian grape varietals, including Verdicchio,Nebbiolo and Sagrantino. Leonardo has authored over 100 published works on wine and viticulture and serves as a consultant for several of Italy’s top wineries.
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Valle Reale seems pre-destined to produce world class wine. Located in the green heart of Abruzzo, its vineyards are situated inside one of Italy’s most beautiful national parks. This is a wild paradise, with deep gorges carved by glaciers, crystal clear springs and a diverse array of flora and fauna. Valle Reale is one of the few wine-producing estates in this area of pristine beauty. The topography and climate of this part of Abruzzo is completely different from the rest of the region and unique within central Italy. The vineyards have thin soils, very rich in limestone with a light base of clay and sand. The proximity to the Gran Sasso mountain range, and the altitude of the estate itself, create wide fluctuations in temperature between day and night. The grapes that are grown here take advantage of constant cool breezes which ensure good ventilation and minimize humidity, ideal for the development of fine aromas. Perfect ripening temperatures are reached only in late fall when the first snow whitens Mount Morrone. The geographic and climatic peculiarities of this area are reflected in the wines, which are characterized by the trademarks of fully mature fruit: fresh elegant perfume and aromatic complexity. Here the Pizzolo family, in close consultation with Prof. Leonardo Valenti and the agronomic faculty of the University of Milan, are working to develop a model for central Italian wines and winemaking. Working primarily with the Montepulciano varietal, they aim to create wines that highlight the grape’s intrinsic qualities: strength, exuberance, vitality, color, elegance, balance and depth. The process begins with the careful selection of clones that are best suited to Valle Reale’s soil and climate, and therefore best express the distinct characteristics of the varietal. Their success is evident in the young, vibrant DOC base wine, and even more so in the cru , a new benchmark for Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.
