The Veronese Andrea Lonardi was named Master of Wine. As of today, the vice president of the Valpolicella Wines Consortium is the second Italian to receive the prestigious recognition, which is the most important award in the world of wine professionals. The title of Master of Wine is given by theInstitute Masters of Wine in London, and it has been an authentic think-tank of the wine industry since 1955, capable of influencing the sector’s global strategy.
Lonardi was born in 1974 in Negrar, in the heart of Valpolicella. With few equals in the wine business, he obtained a degree in agriculture from the University of Bologna, followed by numerous master’s degrees and roles. He achieved a Master’s degree in Control and Management for Agro-Industrial Realities at the Grande École de Montpellier (ENSAM) before moving to Washington State University for an internship. Training internships in internationally prominent wine areas such as Languedoc and Sonoma provided additional refinements. Following a career in marketing and sales, Lonardi was appointed chief operating officer of Bertani Domains, which eventually became Angelini Wine & Estate, in 2012.
Christian Marchesini, president of the Consortium, also commented on Lonardi’s accomplishment, emphasizing the importance of such personalities in the sector. “Andrea Lonardi is now Master of Wine, a personal achievement that will benefit Valpolicella and its consortium.” Indeed, as Master of Wine, we are confident that our vice president will be able to testify to the world about the culture and oenological quality of a territory whose set-aside technique for ideal grapes for Amarone might become a Unesco intangible heritage in the future years.”
“Aside from being an authentic Valpolicella talent,” Marchesini continued, “Lonardi has long been a profound scholar of a territory and a productive fabric that, like him, is distinguished by perseverance and determination.”
The Consortium for the Protection of Valpolicella Wines
More than 2,400 companies, including vintners, winemakers, and bottlers, operate in a production territory spanning 19 municipalities in the province of Verona, from Valpolicella to the Scaligeral city, which holds the record for the largest urban vineyard in Italy, with 8600 hectares of vineyards and a turnover of more than 600 million euros, more than half of which is attributed to Amarone performance. This is a snapshot of the Consortium for the Protection of Valpolicella Wines, which defends and promotes the designation in Italy and around the world with more than 80% representation.
