Let's discover the Il Verro brand: here is our interview

The Il Verro winery is a winery whose business philosophy is based on the enhancement of the wine heritage of the territory and the production of quality wines linked to traditions.
Il Verro is located in Campania on the slopes of Monte Maggiore in the Caserta hinterland.

The company was founded in 2003 on the initiative of the current sole owner Cesare Avenia, who, together with his other 4 friends, founded the Il Verro winery. Thus, a gently sloping piece of land, completely invaded by brambles and weeds, has become the catalyst for the energies of friends now eager to return to the solid values of the oldest traditions of the native land, giving life to an ambitious business initiative with the aim of enhancing the viticultural heritage of the territory and producing organic, artisanal wines with absolute respect for the characteristics of native vines and eco-sustainability.
Monte Maggiore, which dominates on the one hand the basin rich in mineral waters of Riardo and on the other the Volturno valley, has been the hunting ground for wild boars in the barony of Formicola since the time of the Bourbons. The name of the company comes right from here, from “u verru”: the name that the people of Caserta gave to the male wild boar.

Il Verro produces about 20,000 bottles in organic farming, the result of the processing of 4 native vines: Pallagrello Bianco, Coda di Pecora, Casavecchia and Pallagrello Nero. Furthermore, Il Verro has rediscovered and started a work to enhance the ancient Coda di Pecora grape variety cultivated in the past in the chosen area between Monte Maggiore and Roccamonfina, on which experimentations have been underway for some years. To date, they are the only producers who sell pure wines from this very rare grape variety.

We like these artisans, these producers of unique, certified and award-winning delicacies: they are real treasures embedded in our Peninsula between seas and mountains and in the most remote streets of villages and countryside. We don't stop to experience only their products, but we want to discover more closely the protagonists of this brand. That's why we sent some questions to those who manage communication with us.

Stay with us to know Il Verro: read the answers!

• Who are we talking to?
  I am Cesare Avenia, Owner and Sole Director.
  
• Is the company family run? What year was the company founded and who was the founder?
  The company is not family-run and its year of birth is 2003.
  
• Who was the founder and what was his training or what is the branch of work and professional from which he came if different from the current one?
  In 2003 I founded the company together with 4 other friends and high school classmates. I am an electronic engineer and have always been involved in telecommunications, holding high-level managerial roles in multinational companies.
  
• What is the real reason or the triggering fact behind the birth of this company and when did it happen?
  Starting in the 90s, traveling around the world, I had the opportunity to appreciate the world of wine, which pushed me to value the native vines of my territory of origin.
  
• What is your relationship with the land of origin and its typicality? And why do you want to tell them with your products?
  I have always been tied to my homeland: I used to travel a lot, but when I returned the best thing was always to appreciate the typical characteristics of my land, such as buffalo mozzarella, annurca apple and local wines from native vines.
  
• What was the first product you created?
  The first product was the Verginian made from pure white pallagrello grapes, so named in homage to the virgin friars already present in the town of Formicola in the early 18th century.
  
• What is the product that today, on the other hand, do you consider “top”?
  Sheep, white wine obtained from grapes called “sheep's tail” by local farmers, not yet officially recognized in the list of national native vines, but studied and already mentioned by Frojo in the agronomy manual of the late 19th century, as well as inserted with its DNA in the database of Italian vines. We are the only producers to market this ancient grape variety that we are thus valuing and recovering.
  
• And what is the product that in the entire history of the company has most carried with it the beating heart, philosophy and soul of the company itself?
  Always the Sheep because the philosophy of our company is to value the native vines of the working land and the sheep's tail represents a grape variety waiting to be discovered.
  
• Let's talk about today: how big has the company grown since its inception? Can we get some numbers?
  When we started with the first harvest in 2008, we had only 2 hectares of vines for a production of 8000 bottles. The company currently has 15 hectares of property, including 5 hectares of vineyards and an average production of 25,000 bottles.
  
• Right now: more tradition or more innovation?
  I am convinced that to keep tradition alive, it is always necessary to invest in innovation in production processes while respecting environmental and ecological sustainability, which is why from the beginning we have cultivated vineyards according to organic regulations and we remain committed to using all the technological innovations that make it possible to reduce the consumption of water and energy.
  
• What was the most important evolution of the company to get it to what it is today?
  Great consistency in the design and in the adoption of the initial organic philosophy and the collaboration with the oenologist Vincenzo Mercurio who shares the same philosophy.
  
• Speaking instead of the future: what tomorrow will the company wait for? Are there any changes or some new evolutionary process planned?
  Yes, we plan, also with the collaboration of Professor in Agriculture Giancarlo Moschetti of the University of Palermo, to select indigenous yeasts from our vines for an increasingly natural fermentation.
  
• Are you planning to create new products?
  Yes, we plan to add to our product line a sparkling wine produced with the classic method.
  
• Having focused on Spaghetti
  S&M