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Valentina di Camillo – Winemaker for Tenuta I Fauri, Abruzzo, Italy
This third generation family owned winery in the Chieti hills has won Slow Food and Gambero Rosso awards. Valentina di Camillo and her brother Luigi now manage all operations and marketing at Tenuta I Fauri. In addition to having wines made from the well known Montepulciano and Trebbiano grapes, they also produce white wines from Pecorino and Passerina grapes. Although these grapes are not well recognized internationally, the family utilizes them as homage to their region’s agricultural history as well as because of their suitability to local soils. ‘Pecorino’ is also the word for cheese made from sheep’s milk. Valentina explained the local lore: “During migrations from the mountain to the coast, the sheep ate these grapes, so a relationship formed between both.”
Their Baldovino rosé—made from the Montepulciano grape—matches all types of food (“Fish, meat, and of course—spaghetti,” Valentina emphasized).
Short-term profit is not a significant concern for this small winery.
“Customers want us to put our rosé into clear bottles. But that would impact the color. So, we don’t. Maybe that’s not good for marketing. But I’d prefer to sell less bottles, yet in the best way. It’s the way of my family.”
Their Ottobre Rosso, made from Montepulciano grapes, is aged in old concrete tanks, “We have had these tanks from the time of my grandfather. In the past, everyone destroyed their concrete tanks, but now they are building them again.”
Key Differentiators: Recognizing that indigenous grapes can differentiate brand identity; prioritizing consistency over short term profit.