"Since I founded Agricola Bellaria together with the Maffei family, a few years have passed during which I have seen the company be born, grow and grow up.
I stop to think about the time we spent in the cellar, trying with all our strength to create wines that would reflect the beauty and history of our Irpinia.
Born as a small company in Irpinia that tried in every way to stand out and get noticed among the thousands of excellent competitors, we never looked for shortcuts; with effort and humility, every day we fought and won battles that seemed impossible even to face.
I stop to think about the first triumphs in international competitions, the first sales in Italy and abroad, the certificates of esteem of partners and customers that were the main motivation to move forward, in a country that usually hinders you, moving trying to control a system that often, instead of encouraging you, crushes you.
It went well ... and it's still going well; therefore, I believe I am on the right way.
It all starts with the meeting of Chef Marco Picano, a charismatic, humble and shy man who crossed his path with mine; everything starts with a tasting in the dark, "in the dark", not so much for the wines as for the work that my esteemed interlocutor did.
He approached our stand during the last Vinitaly and tasted our "Greco di Tufo Oltre"; His words made me immediately understand who I was dealing with, a man of great preparation, one of those figures that we love in Bellaria, great workers, competent people, men who always leave a mark even without giving a visiting card.
The story continues with the request to participate in a tasting, during which our Greco di Tufo "Oltre" was much appreciated, and with a subsequent communication with which the Chef Marco Picano confirms that our wine has been selected to be inserted in the wine list of the Apostolic Journey of His Holiness Pope Francis ... I stop in disbelief and discover that in reality the man known at the fair is the Chef of the Big.
So, without realizing it, Bellaria wines end up on the Alitalia flight for Armenia in the Pope Francesco menu.
An emotion that I want to dedicate to the people who have supported us in these years, to my wife and my daughters, to my exceptional collaborators, to our talented winemaker Raffaele, who is still the backbone that supports the Bellaria world.
But above all, I dedicate it to those who, in one way or another, came into contact with us and appreciated us, to those who loved us and, why not ... even those with whom we did not get along, because there are times when work relationships sublimate and the best thing to do is to feel part of a big family.
With love, Antonio "
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