My father, Adriano, is the youngest son of Natale and Teresa Vacca. Our family has lived in this region for generations. Like many families in the Langhe, we speak Piemontese as our first language and Italian as our second. Some of the grapevines we manage today were planted by my great grandfather.”
-Renato Vacca, winemaker and owner of Cantina del Pino
Four generations of Vacca family members have produced wine from the same vineyards clustered around the Ovello hill in Barbaresco. The property’s alkaline limestone soil composition and unique microclimate produce a structured, age worthy Nebbiolo. The Vacca family uses no chemical fertilization, no pesticides either, nor herbicides. They have a precise, hands-on mentality that follows the older, traditional ways of respecting the land.
Adriano and Renato Vacca, father and son, started the winery together. Adriano was also one of the founding members of the area cooperative Produttori del Barbaresco. For many years they sold their grapes to the organization. In 1997, after completing enology school and 5 years of field training, Renato decided to produce his own wine his the help of his father.
Unfortunately, on March 14, 2020 Renato passed away at 51 after a yearlong battle with cancer. Read more about Renato’s life and the legacy he built here.