Giovanna Madonia

Giovanna Madonia, one quickly realizes, is a force of nature. Her bearing is honest, genuine, confident – just like her wines.

The estate, just 5 miles from the Adriatic sea, extends over about 14 hectares of gently rolling Romagna, at an altitude of from 200 to 350 meters above sea level. The vineyards are densely planted which is the best way to control yields, through intra-specific competition for water and other resources, in clay and marl soils with limestone bedrock. The newest plantings, planted by Giovanna herself in 1992-94, are head pruned (“Arbarello”), which is the old way of doing things and which brings benefits including lower yields and a three-dimensional orientation to the weather in her southwest-facing vineyards. 

Production is entirely artisanal. Every bunch of grapes is carefully selected in order to obtain high quality wines. Every step of production is met with personal attention, starting in the vineyards and all the way through the winemaking process. The wines are refined in the ancient underground cellar (dating back to the 1700s), where the tradition of wood and concrete mixes with modern steel tanks.

Family history goes back three generations, when Giovanna’s grandfather planted vines and made wine for family and friends. Her father took things to another level and was elected the first president of the Consorzio of wines from Romagna. And in 1992, after rigorous studies of clonal selection, she got busy with new planting. 

Now, with her daughters by her side, Giovanna has truly risen to the ranks of elite Italian wine producers, earning the first ever Tre Bicchieri for a dry-styled Albana with her 2014 Neblina.

   Giovanna Madonia