Gian Piero Marrone

Gian Piero Marrone - Quality viticulture since the turn of the century

The Gran Piero Marrone winery is located in Piedmont, in northwestern Italy. The Marrone family has been involved in viticulture for a long time, but the history of the present estate begins with Pietro Marrone. Pietro was born in 1887 and grew up to be a young, ambitious winemaker. He asked his father in the early 20th century to manage the vineyards using techniques that were revolutionary at the time:

He reduced the yield for higher quality grapes and ended the common practice of planting wheat between the vines. This resulted in higher quality grapes for the Marrone family, who thus began to stand out among the winemakers in the area. Pietro's son Carlo was born in 1924 and later, together with his siblings Paolo, Michele and Mariuccia, joined the winery and resolutely followed Pietro's path of quality. The Second World War led to a break in the winery's history, but Carlo returned and resolutely continued along the path. The winery became known locally as Cascina Carlot, Carlo's estate.

The step to the present time

With Gian Piero, the third generation of the family was born in the winery in 1955. After school, he too followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. It was during his time that the vineyards were planted with native grape varieties:

• Arneis
• Favorita
• Moscato
• Barbera
• Dolcetto
• Nebbiolo
• Chardonnay

Generation four is also ready today with Gian Piero's daughters Valentina, Serena and Denise. While Valentina has chosen the oenological career, Serena takes care of the management of the estate and foreign markets. Denise, together with Mamma Giovanna , is in charge of the house's guest services and, together with her husband Marco, is also in charge of foreign sales.

Viticulture at Gian Piero Marone

In the vineyards, Gian Piero Marrone relies on sustainable viticulture. No weedkillers are used, and the fertilizer used is organic. The harvest at Gian Piero Marrone is traditionally done by hand, in boxes with a barrel weight of 18-20 kg. In order to prevent premature fermentation, which is becoming more frequent due to rising temperatures thanks to climate change, the grapes are brought to cooling chambers by sleds that travel over the vineyards without causing vibrations.

De-stemming and a second selection on the belt take place to select only the best grapes for the wine. The grapes are pneumatically pressed in the cellar and then fermented under temperature control. The winery uses stainless steel tanks for this process. Some wines are then aged in wooden barrels. Barriques with a volume of 225 liters are used for this purpose. The wines spend a period of 16 to thirty months in wood.