Bassano del Grappa is my hometown, and also marks the start of my career. After attaining my degree in Agriculture at the University of Padua, I attended a Masters course run by Attilio Scienza in San Michele dell’Adige (TN), which thanks to one of the modules gave me the opportunity to experience the diversity of wine production in many areas in Italy, one of them being Montalcino.
Storyline
1987
From Bassano del Grappa, Roberto Cipresso moved to Montalcino, where he began his career as a winemaker collaborating with some of the most famous producers of the area. Examples are Case Basse and Poggio Antico.
1988
He starts collaborating with the historical Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona winery where he cooperates to the company's growth and development.
1995
Roberto Cipresso founds ``La Fiorita``, together with two friends from Bassano, Miki Biasion and Tiziano Siviero. The first ``Quadratura del Cerchio`` is also produced.
1998
From the recovery of an old Tuscan farmhouse was born Poggio al Sole, a Guest hose immersed in the nature of Montalcino. In the property there is a small single vineyard of Brunello di Montalcino.
1999
The ambitious Achaval Ferrer project takes shape with the first trip to Argentina. In Italy is founded Winemaking, an oenological and agronomic consulting group, where Roberto works in a professional team.
2000
For the Jubilee of the year 2000, Roberto Cipresso creates a special Cuvée for the Pope John Paul II.
2001
Winemaking is growing and its evolution is Winecircus. A laboratory winery which cooperates with the most important universities. The goal is just research and development.
2004
His second project, Matervini, was born in Argentina, the result of the successes and the collaboration with Santiago Achaval. In a few years Matervini will receive important awards all over the world.
2006
★ He is proclaimed Best Italian Oenologist. He also published his first book ``Il Romanzo del Vino``, in collaboration with Giovanni Negri and Stefano Milioni.
2008
★ Men's Health magazine elected him ``Man of the Year`` in the ``Food`` category. It is also published his second book ``Vinosofia``.
2009
★ ‘Wine & Spirits’ magazine declares Bodega Achaval-Ferrer ``best winery in the world``. It is also published ``Vineide``, the third book by Roberto Cipresso.
2010
★ Roberto Cipresso meets the President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano, the ``Città del Vino`` commissions him for the creation of a wine for 150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy.
2013
★ The magazine ``Wine&Spirits`` defines Achaval Ferrer Finca Altamira 2010 ``best Malbec in the world``. It is also completed the first vintage of Brunello di Montalcino signed by Roberto Cipresso.
2014
★ He is nominated a member of the ‘Scientific Committee’ of the Italian Institution of ‘Vini-Enoteca Italiana’.
2015
★Roberto Cipresso is selected for the Cult Oenologist at the 2015 Merano Wine Festival.
2016
Together with his brother Gianfranco he gives life to the Cipresso 43 project; autochthonous vines derived from the 43° North Parallel used for the production of particular wines. He also published the book ``Life is wonderful if you drink good wine``; a collection of two of his books: ``Il Romanzo del Vino`` and ``Vinosofia``.
2017
Roberto is wine selector and ambassador for the exclusive event ``Charity Dinner`` at Ellis Island (New York), supported by chef Massimo Bottura. In this prestigious audience there is also the actor Chazz Palminteri.
2018
On September 5, during a private audience, he gives to Pope Francis I a bottle of ``Abbraccio`` wine, specially made for the Pontiff in collaboration with ``Città del Vino``. He also published his fourth book: ``Wine. Il Romanzo segreto`` in collaboration with Alessandro Zaltron.
2019
Roberto Cipresso's wines are the protagonists of the exclusive event ``Once Upon a Kitchen in Miami`` organized by GR8 Group; international agency for luxury travel and events. A gastronomic experience that sees a prestigious group of chefs, including Massimo Bottura, at the helm. On October 31, he received the academic title of Foreign Corresponding Member of the ``Academia Argentina de la Vid y del Vino``.
2020
In February he started his collaboration with Radio 105 in the program ``105 Friends`` with Tony and Ross. On November 16th is released the first podcast about wine in Italy with the title: ``Divino. Stories of the history of wine'' realized with Federico Buffa. In the same year, he becomes godfather of the young people of the Locanda del Terzo Settore Centimetro Zero, to whom he dedicates 7 Fables inspired by wine and life.
2021
From 20 to 23 May is a member of the commission at the International Wine Competition of the City of Wine. On July 17 he was appointed Ambassador of CERVIM - Center of Research, Studies and Valorization for Mountain Viticulture.
Now
In breve...
That’s how I started my adventure in Tuscany which was only supposed to last a couple of months, though, as is sometimes the way with these things, is still going on after more than thirty years ! In the beginning, I had the opportunity to work with several wineries ranging from ‘Soldera’,‘Case Basse’ and ‘Poggio Antico’ to ‘Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona’, and from 1988 to 1996 I was responsible for attaining many of their successful goals in the global markets.
In 1995 together with Miki Biasion and Tiziano Siverio, two friends from Bassano del Grappa, I realized my project of ‘La Fiorita’. Our estate has grown from an area of 0,5 hectares to an area of 9 hectares in a mere ten years. Our company has become more and more important and at that point in 2011 we had been collaborating with our two esteemed partners for more than five years.
In 2016 I decided to leave the company in order to dedicate my attention to a new and personal project regarding‘Brunello di Montalcino’. I created my own personal consisting of a cru of 1998 Sangiovese and a converted farmhouse I named ‘Poggio al Sole’.
In subsequent years I worked as a consultant for both national and international companies, the former located in twenty regions in Italy, the latter in Croatia, Brazil, Spain (Mallorca, Ribera del Duero, Jumilla), Romania, America (CA), Turkey, Slovakia, Chile, and above all else in Argentina (Mendoza and Cafajate).
In 1999 in collaboration with my close friend and business partner, Santiago Achaval, I achieved the prestigious project ‘Matervini’ in Argentina. I also collaborated with Galvao Bueno on his ‘Bellavista Estate’ in Bagè, Brazil.
In 1999 I founded ‘Winemaking’, a company comprising of six professionals consultants, who helped many national and international enterprises collect important information for the education project ‘La scuola della vite e del vino’ (‘The School of Grape and Wine’).
In 2001 I founded ‘Winecircus’, a winery and laboratory for research and development. We worked hard and were very successful being able to transform the old headquarters, which had initially been a garage and then olive oil press and former factory into a new and fascinating center of operations. As has often happened in my career, I rebuilt what I had found giving it a new dimension . Thanks to this opportunity I now have at my disposal grapes of a particular quality as well as an experimental winery.
‘Winecircus’ is able to makes research of a singular quality within the oenological field, in collaboration with the Universities of Padua, Turin, Venice, Pisa, Udine and Palermo.
In 2015 this research culminated in the formulation of the brand ‘Cipresso 43’.
Its aim is to enhance native grapes which lie on the 43rd North Parallel (which runs across three of the most important oenological regions in Italy, such as Marche, Umbria and Tuscany), thanks to the concept of the ‘widespwread terroir’ . This managerial and administrative approach developed in conjunction with my brother Gianfranco was a great idea, I had been thinking about it since 1995 and it is still in progress, that is in ‘La Quadratura del Cerchio’ (‘The Squaring of the circle’) .