Angela Velenosi, owner of Velenosi wines and President of Wine Consortium of Piceno.
Here she chats about what it means to be a woman in a notoriously male dominated wine world and what is her commitment for the promotion and the defense of Italian wines abroad.
1) You’re one of the few females to be named President of a wine consortium. Tell us about that.
The Consortium of Piceno wines is made up of 40 wine professionals, 80% of whom are first or second-generation wine makers. I think for that reason they are particularly forward thinking and accepting of women professionals.
2) Has being a woman made it difficult to fulfill your role as President of the Consortium?
Not at all! I adore my Marche region, this special Piceno area, it’s spectacular hill, pristine water and unique microclimate. It delights me to talk about this special wine making province.
3) Tell me one fact about the wines of the Piceno Consortium
Seventy percent of the wines in the consortium are organic, feed by the exceptionally pure mountain spring water we are lucky enough to have in this area. The water of Piceno is considered one of the purest waters in Italy.
4) What does the Consortium do to protect Italian wines abroad?
The world of wine is deeply changed. Whereas previously the market wanted international wines, now that the market is truly global, local grape varieties have become the only language to emerge to tell a story of a territory. Abroad the Consortium had to figure out how to tell its identity: Piceno. We tell it through the Consortium’s website, at conferences and wine shows and more.
5) You travel for business a great deal. Is it stressful?
I actually love traveling, especially when I get to speak about the wines of Piceno. I like to talk about the differences in our wine from wine of other regions of Italy, but also all the similarities too. And in this way, I get to share my love of my Piceno province and all the charm of Italy, one of the most magnificent countries in the world.
6) What are (if there are any) the difficulties in fulfilling such an important role outside Italy?
There actually have not been problems, but rather being President of the Consortium of Piceno wines, which represent 60% of the regional production, actually gave me the opportunity to challenge the industry issues of the area where I live and work to create positive change.
7) How is the world of wine “Made in Italy” perceived abroad?
Fantastic! The world really appreciates Italian wines. It’s very satisfying to see the wonderful reception our Italian wines receive abroad!
Thanks to our Italian Food Ambassador Francine Segan for this amazing interview.
