Matteo Lunelli (Ferrari’s CEO), Camilla Lunelli (Director External Relations), and Marcello Lunelli (winemaker)
After over 100 years, about time I would say, the renowned Cantine Ferrari and the Lunelli Group has the intuition and worldly vision of an accomplished woman among their top executives.
Since its founding in 1902 Ferrari has grown from a vineyard in Trentiono to producing some of the world's best sparkling wines and mineral water Surgiva, Lunelli still wines, Segnana grappa and wines at Tenuta Podernovo in Tuscany, and Tenuta Castelbuono, in Umbria.
Like many children of great Italian wine families in her generation, Camilla's path back to the wine took an impressive route, through university, the world of finance and business consulting, in Paris and New York, and then significant humanitarian work with United Nations Program for Development in Africa. But love of family and passion for the wine drew her home.
Here is more about her story…
We are about to taste a very hot label, for the first time, Ferrari Rosé NV which is newly available in a 375-ML half bottle (SRP $16). Just in time for Valentine’s Day.
And enjoyed the opportunity to interview Camilla virtually.
Hello Camilla, so nice to meet you. We are so excited about your work at Ferrari/Lunelli, we would love to share more about that with our readers.
PC: You joined your families wine business later in life, after other educational and career pursuits, was there a pivotal "ah ha" moment or event when you decide to joint the family wine business?
CL: I was working as a volunteer in Uganda when I accepted my family’s proposal to join the company and handle the responsibility of the communication and external relations. The 3 years I spent in Africa were incredibly enriching for me, but the bond to my family and my mountains, as well as the passion for wine, have always been very strong, so I decided to go back. I will never forget the emotion of finding the whole family at the airport welcoming me to a new life and new exciting challenges!
PC: I can certainly understand that, how has your experience in banking and humanitarian work in Africa help you today?
CL: All the experiences I had before joining the family business have been very important to me from several points of view. First, they gave me the opportunity to experience how work is organized in well-known international structures (consulting firms, banks, the United Nations) and identify best practices that can bring an added value in the context of Ferrari. Secondly, I had the chance to build the professional background that was necessary to take on a leading role in the family business. Moreover, from a personal perspective working and living abroad, in particular in Africa, has helped me a lot to open my mind and have a different approach to real priorities in life.
PC: I understand you are also a mother of three beautiful children, How do you balance work and being a mother?
CL: Strongly loving both my work and my 3 children is the key for succeeding in fitting activities that should require 36 hours a day into 24. And for doing it with a smile (most of the time…)! Sharing the parental role with my husband on an egalitarian basis is also very important, not forgetting the support provided by the grandparents.
PC: That is beautiful. Can we talk about your wines? Why do you feel Italian wines are the best in the world?
CL: I think that Italy expresses an incredible variety of wines. Due to our long and rich history and to the geographical diversity of our territories (even when located very close to each other), we have developed a wide choice of enological traditions, autochthonous vines, and specific production techniques. In the last 2-3 decades (except for some cases, where quality has always been a major driver) Italian producers have built on the richness of this heritage and turned it in the direction of quality. The result is an extraordinary offer of high quality wines, each reflecting a distinct expression of its own tradition and land.
PC: We certainly agree with that.What unique things does Ferrari do to make their wine outstanding?
CL: “Excellence is not an act, but a habit”, Aristotle used to say. We try to be consistent with his teaching in all steps of production, in every detail, from the soil to the table. We think that quality starts in the vineyard and since we are positive about the extraordinary vocation of Trentino for the production of Metodo Classico wines, we try to express the very essence of our land and its mountains. This means that we grow our grapes only at high altitude (above 350 mt), where the diurnal shift in temperature is strong and the aromas develop at their best, and cultivate our vineyards with sustainable methods and the utmost respect for the environment. We also consider time as an great ally in making outstanding wines. This is why we have long aging periods for all our Trento D.O.C.’s: from a minimum of 24 months for Ferrari Brut, to 6 years for our vintage Ferrari Perlé, up to 11 years for Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore.
PC: What are your plans for the future?
CL: We want to continue our project of “Sustainable Mountain Agriculture” and aim to produce all our Trento D.O.C.s from organic grapes. We are also planting new vineyards at higher altitude, in order to ensure that, despite climate changes and global warming, Ferrari wines maintain the balanced acidity and bounty of aromas that are their distinctive feature.
From a marketing perspective, we plan to stress our role of ambassadors of the Italian art of living by reinforcing our partnerships with top brands “made in Italy” in other sectors like fashion and design. We are confident that the quality of our wines combined with a glamorous touch of Italian lifestyle will make the difference and help us continue to strengthen our position in foreign markets.
PC: Anything special you would like our readers to know?
CL: I would like to warmly invite them to come and visit us in Trentino. I am sure they would be enchanted by the Dolomites and the historical center of Trento, but also by the journey that we propose to our visitors at Ferrari: after visiting the Winery, they can drive through some of our vineyards to reach Villa Margon, a magnificent 16th century residence which is our hospitality center. They can finish the tour at our Michelin starred restaurant Locanda Margon, where our chef has done an amazing job of matching his creations with our Trento D.O.C. wines.
PC: I think we will definitely take you up on that. And enjoy this wine. Ferrari Rosé NV
US Importer Palm Bay International
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