The story of Piedmont is one of the classics in the wine pantheon.
This temperate Italian region is known across the world for its contributions to wine in the form of Barberescos, Astis and not to mention the ‘King of Wine’ itself: Barolo. Its contributions are so profound that many of the vineyards in this North-West region are culturally protected by the Italian government, three of which are UNESCO heritage sites. The Piedmont wine story is written in the well-aged rosey and tannic ink of the Barolo wine and it is a favourite tale read time and time again for those literate in the language of vino. As time goes on however new voices contribute to the chorus, and while many wineries have been tempted to adopt the prose of faux-classic wineries to give an impression of timelessness to their wines, L’Astemia Pentita have opted to remain authentic in how they communicate.
Sandra Vezza began L’Astemia Pentita with only a pair of barrels, and with a trained eye in aesthetic and visual poetry, she brought a flared voice to her first vintage in 2010. Situated in Piedmont’s Barolo – the wine’s namesake – L’Astemia Pentita shares territory with wine giants who have their long-standing history to fall back on, a history that by default justifies their presence in the wine world. Rather than try to be anything else Sandra and her winery embraced their modernity, using the pop-art style as inspiration for the aesthetic that wrapped around their bottles and the wine-box-shaped winery they operate in. It has been a delicate balancing act, to honour the territory, terroir, and tradition while still being authentic to their place in the contemporary, but it has been an act they’ve flourished with, marrying their timeless wines with a timely aesthetic. Wine-making is a slow-burning saga, with each vintage echoing a new story, but L’Astemia Pentita is a voice boldly contributing its verses to it.
