Cellar

CRISTIAN RIDOLFI

Winemaker

Cristian Ridolfi, born in Verona in 1971, an expert winemaker with extensive experience acquired through many years of wholehearted work in some of the most prestigious wineries in Valpolicella, is at the helm of the historic Santi di Illasi winery.

After graduating from the Istituto Agrario di Conegliano, at the beginning of his career, he worked for two years at the Santi winery before moving on to other wineries in the Verona area.

Over the years, he has taken an in-depth look at the distinctive features of the wine areas around Verona, the origins of appellations and history of terroirs to enable him to interpret the potential of each valley and its slopes through the grape varieties cultivated on them.

Returning to run Santi, after almost twenty years, is undoubtedly a source of great satisfaction but also one of great responsibility.

“This is why a fruit of the earth can be transformed into a product capable of arousing emotions, one that tells a story. The ground work that we do in the cellar is a kind of “alchemy”, a brief transition from a sugary liquid to an alcoholic nectar during which anything could happen. You can lose your way and fail to create the magic or you can achieve the wine you imagined and planned in the vineyard and make it come true...”

CRISTIAN RIDOLFI