I'm Nicola Nardone, the winemaker behind TENUTA VINCENZO NARDONE.

I am known as Pupo, and I have been running this family business founded in 1908 by my grandfather, hence the company name, continuously and uninterruptedly since 2013.

I studied economics and this kept me away from the family business and from the physical relationship with nature that has always been part of my life: my father was born a farmer and in the education of us children he always passed on to us values that they were inextricably linked with the land and its cultivation.

Since I was four years old my father has always taken me with him to the family vineyards and olive groves and involved me in every work activity. The bond that was created as a child allowed me to embark on this adventure without too many difficulties.

My role models since I started the business have been many and all linked to experiences of natural winemaking and cultivation beyond organic farming. Over the years, to grow and consolidate my ideas, I have visited several realities and producers who have been part of the great cultural baggage that has evolved over time in my wines and my person. I have made trips to many parts of the world in search of information in Italy, Oslavia (therefore Gravner), but also in France with a focus on Alsace, Burgundy and Bordeaux in 2018. I have also traveled to America, where I visited some of the wine-growing areas between the most suitable in California.
Over time my approach to viticulture has evolved with much study and experimentation, but it has never strayed from the key points: no weeding, no chemical, no systemic fertilizers. For years I have been fascinated by Michelle Barbau's organic forest philosophy and some biodynamic intuitions. I am not certified organic, and even if some of the plots I cultivate are, I remain very critical of the certification method, which is only paper-based control and never involves real activity in the field.

The company is located in Irpinia in Venticano where 80% of the land we cultivate mostly hosts Aglianico. The remaining part is located in Pietradefusi (1 hectare of Aglianico), Santa Paolina (2 hectares of Greco).

All our land lies in the most important areas including the DOCG, but we do not make denomination wines except for the reds.

In total we have ten hectares of vineyards and two of olive groves, which we cultivate with the utmost respect for the fertility of the soil by having tractors help us with the heaviest jobs.

Most of the management processes are manual, as is the harvest, which takes place in fifteen kilo boxes.

The fermentations in the cellar are always spontaneous, we do not filter or clarify our wines, and since 2015 we have no longer used SO2.