I am deeply honored to receive the "Stories Around Wine 2025" literary award. A special thank you goes to the Città del Vino (City of Wine) for this prestigious recognition.
The secret of a great wine lies not in technique, but in the ability to listen to a story. The story of its roots.
Consider the grapevine. It is our greatest teacher. When it suffers, when the soil is arid and all seems lost, the vine doesn't become selfish. Instead, it performs an act of incredible generosity: it produces more grapes. Not for itself, but to ensure a future for its species, to leave a legacy. It prioritizes family, continuity. Only then, if any energy remains, does it tend to itself. What a life lesson.
This same logic applies to people. Consider the Italian immigrants who crossed the ocean to Argentina a century ago. They had nothing but their wisdom. So how, after a hundred years, could one find a vineyard planted by a true expert from Veneto or Piedmont in that vast land?
The answer wasn't on maps, but in the trees...
Consider the grapevine. It is our greatest teacher. When it suffers, when the soil is arid and all seems lost, the vine doesn't become selfish. Instead, it performs an act of incredible generosity: it produces more grapes. Not for itself, but to ensure a future for its species, to leave a legacy. It prioritizes family, continuity. Only then, if any energy remains, does it tend to itself. What a life lesson.
This same logic applies to people. Consider the Italian immigrants who crossed the ocean to Argentina a century ago. They had nothing but their wisdom. So how, after a hundred years, could one find a vineyard planted by a true expert from Veneto or Piedmont in that vast land?
The answer wasn't on maps, but in the trees...
These men would plant a tree from their homeland—a pine, a chestnut tree—in front of their new home. It was a sign, a visible root that said, 'I am here, and I bring my history, my knowledge with me.' To find the right vineyard, one only had to look for the right tree. It was a beacon, a clue left by those who came before us.
You see, this is the point: greatness is not born from chance. It is born from the ability to observe, to read the signs that the past leaves in the present. Our roots are not just underground. They are everywhere.
You just have to know how to see them.
You see, this is the point: greatness is not born from chance. It is born from the ability to observe, to read the signs that the past leaves in the present. Our roots are not just underground. They are everywhere.
You just have to know how to see them.
To read the full reflection that inspired this award, click the link (in italian only)
Roberto Cipresso
Winemaker. Author
