Pier Paolo Antolini
We came across Pier Paolo Antolini while on a quest for new Italian wines. We heard rave reviews about an up and coming winemaker known by locals as Amarone Boy. So we made a trip to Marano di Valpolicella, 25km north of Verona, to Pier Paolo Antolini's vineyard to see what Amarone Boy was all about. As soon as we arrived, we realised Pier Paolo was our type of producer. He's energetic, enthusiastic and animated even by Italian standards. Pier Paolo cares deeply about the land and the wine it produces, and his passion is infectious. The vineyard is small, just 7.5 hectares, and located on very stony ground. The ground around Marano di Valpolicella is so stony that it had to be completely cleared before it could be cultivated. Pier Paolo did most of this work by hand, so every square meter of the vineyard is precious.