Two Siblings and a Family Vineyard
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Two Siblings and a Family Vineyard

FOR GIOVANNA PRANDINI ORGANIC IS AN OBJECTIVE, NOT A DOGMA

A stony, hilly plot with poor water. It may seem strange, but these are the ideal conditions for making great wines. And to convince a young graduate in economic and social science at Bocconi to abandon a promising career in the insurance and financial field to embark on a risky new business venture, together with her brother Ettore, a graduate in Law. “We started from the land owned by my family, cultivated to produce grapes that were not vinified but sold to third parties. My brother and I decided it was time to do something of our own,” explains Giovanna Prandini.

It was 2006 when Perla del Garda was born, a winery in the municipality of Lonato, between Desenzano and Sirmione, where Turbiana is grown mainly for the production of Lugana DOC, but also international vines such as Chardonnay and Riesling, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. There is a total of 40 hectares of vineyards, partly already converted to organic, where the harvest is done exclusively by hand. "Environmental sustainability is one of the cornerstones of our philosophy, which looks to tradition but winks at innovation in production processes by investing in technology and research, especially in the vineyard to reduce the number of treatments and respect the protocols of organic farming".
And so a winery was born, designed by their architect mother, structured on three floors, and working by gravity, a technological jewel of a company that produces everything with its own grapes, a choice that is both the scourge and delight of those who, like Perla del Garda, scrupulously adhere to it: “We are in the hills, we can benefit from the unique climate of Lake Garda and from a good exposure of the vineyards, fortunately. Our wine has characteristics of flavor and minerality that make it unique and distinguishable from the others. Being independent winegrowers and producing only our own grapes means sometimes depending on the vagaries of the seasons, obtaining a wine that is a true interpreter of the vintage, as I like to call it, but at the same time always faithful to itself in style and elegance ".

A successful wine, with about 45% of production destined for export. And we return to the subject of organic farming: "It is a path that we started in 2013 and that we intend to take seriously. However, it must not become a dogma, because the economic and social sustainability of the company weighs on our shoulders, which is made up of people and families who depend on us "continues Giovanna Prandini. “Producing 100% organically without having a consolidated experience is too great a risk, we cannot afford it yet. Ours must be a policy of small steps, we want to grow gradually by making courageous but wise choices”.
 

Giovanna Prandini, owner of the Perla del Garda winery, graduated in economic and social sciences: “My years at Bocconi were a life lesson. I had difficulty at the beginning, I who had done classical studies to pit myself against subjects such as mathematics, statistics, and econometrics. The university taught me a method that I was then able to apply in my work and that has always accompanied me both in the financial and agricultural fields, allowing me to build a winning team. I am pleased to note that among the new generations of entrepreneurs in the world of wine there are more and more people with a university background, curious and eager to learn and innovate with particular attention to sustainability".

by Davide Ripamonti

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