Ilenia Spagnoli

Ilenia Spagnoli is a fourth-generation winemaker based in Arcola, in the La Spezia province of Liguria. Wine runs in her blood: her great-grandfather and grandfather were growers and producers who sold wine in bulk; her father Andrea later transformed their family farm into one that bottles Vermentino under the Colli di Luni Vermentino DOC. Ilenia, born in 1987, studied enology and viticulture at the University of Pisa, and returned to the family estate with a mission to rediscover her ancestors’ ways while bringing new expression to the land.

Vineyard & Practices

  • She works on about 3.5 hectares of vineyards on Monte Masignano, between Arcola and Vezzano Ligure. Many of the vines are old—over 50 years in age—and clustered close around the winery.

  • Soils are predominantly clay and stony. The vineyards are nurtured with green manure and minimal intervention.

  • Ilenia favors natural balance: spontaneous fermentations, limited use of sulphur, minimal filtration or clarification, and styles that let the wine show its place and vintage.

Wines & Style

  • Among her wine labels are Pan (a blend of Vermentino and Trebbiano), eXtreme (same blend with skin contact / maceration, zero added sulphur), and also a straight Vermentino DOC.

  • Her wines are known for clarity, freshness, aromatic intensity, a sense of minerality, and a strong connection to Ligurian terroir—sea breezes, sun, altitude etc.

  • Her more experimental wines (like the macerated ones) show a willingness to take risks, to play with texture and contact, while still respecting the vineyard and its history.

Values & Character

  • Continuity and heritage: she merges tradition with innovation, honoring her great-grandfather/ grandfather’s methods while bringing her own voice.

  • Authenticity: the goal is not to conform but to let the land speak—through old vines, careful work in vineyard and cellar, expressive native and adapted varieties.

  • Environment and restraint: low yields, attentive vineyard care, working with what the land offers rather than forcing it, minimal external additions—these are central.

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