History

Four generations, one family and a large group.

 

The history of Poderi del Nespoli spans four generations of Romagna winemakers with an unshakable faith in their land and its fruits, tirelessly dedicated to its promotion by means of constant research and improvement.

Since 2010, the year in which the Ravaioli family entered a partnership with Mondodelvino Group, Poderi dal Nespoli wines have found their way onto numerous international markets. This is also thanks to the innovative momentum created by state-of-the-art technologies introduced across all grape processing and wine ageing phases, guaranteeing qualitative improvement and compatibility with highly authentic processes.

The first generation – a trattoria, a village dance hall and the boot of a Jaguar.

 

In 1920, Attilio Ravaioli, son of the last farmer to work for the noble Guidi family, opened the most renowned restaurants in the Bidente Valley: Osteria “Da Tilio”, in Cusercoli. it soon became one of the most popular eateries among locals, who absolutely loved its unique menu featuring terracotta pot roasts, hand-whipped ice creams and homemade lemonade. Diners also enjoyed the suggestive dance hall in the Osteria’s beautiful internal courtyard.

Lapped by the waters of the Bidente river, soon the trattoria became a popular destination for fishing enthusiasts from Bologna, who would often stock up on house wine after lunch, filling the boots of their sports cars. 
Inspired by high demand for his own sangiovese wine, in 1929 Attilio resolved to begin works to expand the cellar. 
The business continued to grow, also thanks to the impulse created by the second generation: his sons Antonio and Amleto.

The second generation – from the Bidente Valley to the Riviera: the F.lli Ravaioli cellar.

 

Upon taking over the family business, Antonio and Amleto resolved to give up the trattoria so that they could dedicate themselves entirely to wine production.
They went on to acquire Podere Prugneto and produce their first wines made from their own sangiovese grapes.

Inspired by these developments, the brothers decided to expand their market, setting their sights on the Riviera Romagnola. Antonio and Amleto created the F.lli Ravaioli label.
For the first time ever, they began bottling their wine, which until then had only ever been sold in bulk.
Its immediate success encouraged the brothers to experiment with the development of new wines.

They created their first two whites containing Albana and Trebbiano.
In the meantime, the third generation was in the making. Valerio was learning from his father Amleto and his uncle Antonio.

The third generation – from the F.lli Ravaioli label to Prugneto: the birth of Poderi dal Nespoli.

 

Valerio breathed new life blood into the business during the mid 60s.
 He strongly believed in the potential of Sangiovese di Romagna for creating high profile wines. He introduced two important innovations: the reduction of grape production per hectare, and for the first time ever, the use of French barriques in the ageing process. 
He then set about looking for a distinctive image to convey this new direction, capable of immediately distinguishing his sangiovese and making its extraordinary characteristics easily recognisable.

Inspiration came to him in Saint Tropez. While in Brigitte Bardot’s boutique, Valerio’s attention was drawn towards paper envelopes which bore details on the philosophy and history of items for sale. Using the same type of paper, Valerio created a label which is a veritable wine identity card, also in terms of visual layout. Prugneto, a single variety sangiovese superiore, thus made its début on the market. Since then the wine’s motto has never changed:
“Everyone else makes sangiovese, we make Prugneto.“

The entire property was renovated during the mid 80s and additional land was purchased in the Nespoli area. The F.lli Ravaioli estate became “Azienda Agricola Poderi dal Nespoli“, under the ownership and management of Fabio, Antonio’s son.
At the time of the first harvest at Poderi dal Nespoli, Valerio’s daughter Celita was little more than a small girl. However, the fourth generation was in the making, already a presence among the vine rows.

The fourth generation: Gambero Rosso, Mondodelvino and Argea.

 

After over 20 years spent by her father Valerio’s side, both in vineyards and cellars, Celita made her first ever wine in 2004.
She had observed her grandfather, father and uncle, taken part in harvests since she was a small child, lent a hand during all successive processing phases. The time had come for her to put herself to the test. Valerio gave her advice and tried to correct what he saw as errors, but Celita was determined to find her own path. In 2006 her endeavours were crowned with the most prestigious recognition ever: the 3 glasses of the Gambero Rosso.
A year later Celita repeated this success.

Both events marked the cellar’s transition into the fourth generation.
Celita and Fabio have since grown up, as have the wines they produce.
Poderi dal Nespoli produces high quality wines whose spirit masterfully combines the dream of Alfeo Martini with those of the Ravaioli family: to export fine Romagna quality onto international markets. When the president of Mondodelvino first set eyes on Prugneto, he recognised it as the most noble and faithful expression of Romagna.

The Ravaioli family and Group established the company towards the end of 2009.
In early 2010, under the supervision of Alfeo and Marco, work began for the creation of the current Poderi dal Nespoli estate, comprising of a state of the art cellar, facilities, and vineyards. The Bottega del Vino shop and the Borgo dei Guidi agriturismo (bed & breakfast), are complete with their own event space situated in the park, which creates a perfect setting for hosting dedicated events and ceremonies.

Today, over 90 years after its birth, Poderi dal Nespoli is part of the Argea Group, and controls the entire production chain. From the vineyard to the glass, up to the tables of wine lovers in 38 countries around the world, and the corporate spirit reunites with its roots, returning to combine the vocation and passion it has always had in making wine with the generous and exclusive welcome that characterizes this territory has always been: Romagna.