First generationWinemaker
LEONARDO E LORENZO
Friends since childhood, united by a passion for wine. We were born, first and foremost, as wine enthusiasts. We fell in love with viticulture while working as laborers in a large wine cooperative. We then became sommeliers and nurtured the dream of becoming producers ourselves.
Leonardo
I had silenced the call of the land for a long time, until it became a scream I could no longer ignore. So, after putting my nutrition degree away in a drawer and spending a few wild years outside of Italy, I began to walk among the grapevines.
To be honest, I first dabbled in winemaking back in 2005. Thanks to the three strawberry grapevines that my grandfather Francesco had in his garden and a fermentation bucket, the not-at-all egocentric “Leodoc” emerged, in a limited edition of two bottles. I tried again in 2009, increasing the production to 12 bottles. The few relatives who had the courage to taste it simply said, “It’s red.” Today, that game has turned into a full-time job, but the spirit remains the same, drawn to craftsmanship, that long journey from the earth to the bottle, where science and magic come together.
Lorenzo
After studying at the Scientific High School in Jesi, I decided to enroll in the Economics faculty at the University of Bologna. It was during those years that my passion for wine was born, and I began to develop the idea of turning it into a career. During a period of uncertainty about my future, I decided to return to Jesi, my hometown, and start working in the agri-food products trade sector.
I began working as a commercial consultant. I enjoyed the job, but my love for wine and everything related to it grew stronger within me. I decided it was time to channel my passion in a specific direction, and the first step was enrolling in a sommelier course held in my city by Fisar, one of Italy’s major sommelier associations. I completed a training internship at a Spanish Bodega and found myself living and working in Burgos for six months. This experience marked the transition from an idea of work to the possibility of making it a full-time occupation.
After completing the sommelier course and obtaining the qualification, I resigned and sought employment at a local winery with the idea of getting hands-on experience in the vineyard. Fortunately, I was contacted by the largest winery in my region, to which I have been professionally tied for six years up to now. This work experience allowed me to solidify my knowledge of the industry and paved the way for the realization of what later became the “La Follonica” project. They say I’m stubborn and tend to go straight for what I believe is right, and perhaps this slight recklessness was the driving force behind the best decision of my life: creating the “La Follonica” project.
