Our Story

Cantina Il Poggio was born on an end-of-summer afternoon in 1992 when an entrepreneur from Busseto found himself at the Milan courthouse to acquire an estate at auction among the hills of Salsomaggiore Terme.

Little did he know he was about to become a wine producer as well.

The estate would become a refuge from the city’s chaos—a place to seek peace and tranquility. Once it finally became his and inspections began, he noticed an old farmhouse destined to become his manor house and, right in front of it, one hectare of vineyard.

He discovered that the previous owner produced a modest amount of wine, while the remainder of the land was planted with fruit trees.

Seeing the vineyard sparked his curiosity, and he began to wonder if there was a possibility to start his own winemaking venture.

The University of Pavia was called upon to conduct soil analyses, which revealed that the land was perfect for producing still red wines with body and structure—quite the opposite of the sparkling wine tradition typical of Parma and its province.

However, this did not matter to the entrepreneur. He was determined to produce a different kind of wine, one perhaps more appealing to overseas markets.

At first, he relied on the labor and expertise of the estate’s two custodians for winemaking.

For some historical context, the 1990s were a period of significant decline for Italian wine—apart from a few renowned companies in the most famous regions. Unfortunately, investigations into the methanol scandal, which had poisoned and killed many in Italy due to the adulteration of wine with methyl alcohol, had only recently concluded.

After several years, Italian wines finally began to break free from this stagnation and started to take off worldwide.

In 2014, the owner of the estate officially hired enologist and Winery Director Luca Gualdana, who, in 2024, celebrates 10 years with the winery.

In 2015, Filippo Rizzoli, a graduate in enology, joined to support Luca and began working as a sales manager, opening the first customer portfolio (both private and Ho.Re.Ca.).

Years passed, the company grew, and it started gaining recognition, but it still needed a boost to truly take off.

So, at the beginning of 2021, Mattia Ravanetti was hired as the first Marketing and Communications Manager. With his expertise, courage, vision, and strategic approach, he began to understand the real potential of this winery—tastings and events.

He started taking the initial steps just as all of Italy began to recognize the value of enotourism. Riding this wave, Cantina Il Poggio finally gained recognition in the area, both for its still red wines (in particular, the red wine “Poggio”) and for its commitment to high-level hospitality.

Subsequently, in 2023, Alessandra Gioioso was hired to support the Marketing Manager in all his activities. At the end of 2024, Mattia decided to pursue his own path, and Alessandra took over the entire management of marketing and communications.

Finally, in 2024, Benedetta Sirelli and Federico Borghino joined the team.
• Benedetta is in charge of event organization—coordinating enogastronomic events in collaboration with other local producers, as well as corporate and institutional events.
• Federico has replaced Filippo as the Sales Manager for the Ho.Re.Ca. sector.

Cantina Il Poggio is a very young enterprise—just 32 years old in terms of its history, but effectively only 10 years old in its current form.

Ten, like its labels that are offered daily for tasting to its guests.

Poggio was born alongside the winery itself and has continually improved over the years. Below are the guides in which it has appeared and the awards it has received:

• “Menzione di Eccellenza” 2012/2013 at the awards organized by the Associazione Italiana Sommeliers Emilia, held in Ferrara on 18/07/2012.
• “Bollino Rosso 2013 Merano Wine Award” awarded by the Final Tasting Commission of the Merano Wine Festival 2013, with a score between 86 and 89 points.
• Recognition Plaque from the Associazione Italiana Sommeliers Emilia, on 30/09/2012 in Vigatto (PR), for the “Stella D’Eccellenza” awarded by the guide “Emilia Romagna da bere e da mangiare” (2012/2013 edition).
• The Poggio IGT Rosso Barricato 2012 received the “Qualifica di Eccellenza” from the Associazione Italiana Sommelier Romagna on 25/07/2016, in the guide “Emilia Romagna da bere e da mangiare” (2016/2017 edition).
• The Poggio IGT 2015 received the gold medal at the “Mostra Nazionale Vini” 2018.
• The Poggio IGT 2016 received the gold medal at the “Mostra Nazionale Vini” 2019.
• The Poggio IGT 2017 received “DUE CALICI” in the guide Vini d’Italia Gambero Rosso.
• The Poggio IGT 2017 received “Quattro Viti” in “Vitae, la Guida Vini 2024”.
• The Poggio IGT 2017 in “Guida Oro I Vini di Veronelli 2025”.