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MARCO AND CARLO VOLPI
INTEND TO FOCUS ON
PROMOTING PIEDMONT AND
ITS NATIVE GRAPE VARIETIES
USING INNOVATION TO COPE WITH A CHANGING
CLIMATE
There is every likelihood that technology and native grapes may hold the key
for coping with issues like climate change in the future. This year, Tortona only
received 300 mm of rain over the first eight months of the year – and 80 mm in just
24 hours – compared with an annual average ranging from 800 to 1,100 mm. Whilst
recognising that climate change is a challenge, the Volpi family is again planning to
stay ahead of the curve: “We are changing vineyard management techniques, like
keeping the grapes more covered, but also looking into innovations like hailstorm
nets and creating water reserves like small lakes close to the vineyards in order to
have water supplies in case of emergencies”.
PIEDMONT AND NATIVE GRAPES AS A FOCUS
Alongside innovative techniques, the winery’s focus will also be on promoting Piedmont
and its native grape varieties, which have proven to be effective at opening
up new markets, both at home and abroad. In a challenging global wine market,
Timorasso offers great opportunities in the on-trade worldwide whilst also helping
to unearth new opportunities in emerging markets like South Korea, Vietnam and
Mexico. As an economics graduate with work experience gained from a four-year
stint in supply chain management and commerce at the Heineken group, Marco
Volpi is well-equipped to continue in his family’s footsteps and honour the legacy of
his ancestor Cristina Volpi and her two sons who laid the company’s foundations on
the eve of the Great War. The fifth-generation family representative intends to wage
and win his battle by combining history, the unique attributes of his home region
and ability to adapt to a constantly changing market and environment.
116 AUTUMN 2023 • GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE