The Future Is Female At Two Iconic Italian Wineries

The Felluga family traces its wine industry lineage to the late 1800s. Michele Felluga started buying and selling wines in Istria, part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Michele’s son Marco started growing grapes and making wine on the family farm in what is now southwestern Slovenia. Marco’s son Giovanni continued the family wine trade after World War I and opened a cellar in Collio in 1938. After World War II, the Felluga family lost their farm when Istria became part of Yugoslavia, and the family made Collio their home. Livio and Marco, two of Giovanni’s seven children, established wineries in the area.

Marco Felluga established his eponymous winery in 1956 in the town of Gradisca d’Isonzo and the vineyards are in four areas of the Collio: Farra d’Isonza, San Floriano del Collio, Oslavia, and Cormòns. Russiz Superiore, which means “high earth”, was an ancient property purchased by Marco Felluga in 1967. The single block of 99 acres makes up the Cru estate of Marco Felluga.

Sixth-generation Illaria Felluga started working with her father Roberto in 2017. Born in Udine, Illaria was raised in Liguria after her parents divorced. Illaria would visit her father on holiday, but she did not grow up around wine. With no formal plans for her future, she decided to take a gap year and went to London to work as an au pair and improve her English. A visit from her father included a dinner at a Michelin restaurant that changed the course of her life. She returned to Italy and studied wine. She worked alongside her father from 2017 until his death in 2021 and has been in charge ever since.

Like her grandfather, Illaria continues the tradition of producing exquisite white wines. The elegant Marco Felluga Mongris Pinot Grigio 2022 has intense aromas of flowers and apple and a wonderful mouthfeel; the Russiz Superiore Pinot Grigio 2022, with its apple and pear notes, is structured with a long, fruity, full-bodied finish; the Marco Felluga Amant Friulano 2022 has wildflower aromas, intense acidity, and notes of almond.

Located in the north of Italy in Alto Adige, once a part of Austria, the Lageder family, led by Johann Lageder, began as wine merchants in the city of Bolzano in 1823. Over the years, the family began producing their own wine and growing their own grapes. In 1934, Alois Lageder, the great-grandson of Johann Lageder, purchased the Löwengang wine estate in the village of Magrè and shifted from merchant to producer. The family began acquiring vineyards in Alto Adige, as well as establishing purchase agreements with many small growers in the area.

Alois Lageder IV, the grandson of Alois Lageder who purchased the Löwengang estate, took control of the company in the mid-1970s, along with his sister Wendelgard and her husband, enologist Luis von Dellemann. The family began to push the standards of quality and environmental responsibility and is Demeter-certified biodynamic. With a total of 125 acres, Alois Lageder is a self-sustaining farm. The winery and cellar is a low-energy-consumption, zero-carbon-footprint structure built into the side of the valley wall and uses solar panels, geothermal heating, natural convection airflow, and gravity-flow wine production. Lageder has been working with their network of growers and for the 2024 vintage, all 60 partners, covering 270 acres of vines, are certified organic or biodynamic.

Alois Lageder IV had three children, the sixth generation of the family. Two of them, Alois Clemens Lageder and Helena Lageder, have stepped into leadership positions. After spending a decade working in the film industry, Helena returned to the family business and today manages export markets and marketing.

The wines of Alois Lageder transformed the region of Alto Adige from everyday wines to world-class wines. The wines are pure expressions of the diverse region with its high altitude, dolomitic limestone soils, and Alpine winds. The Alois Lageder Porer Pinot Grigio 2022, a mix of direct press, skin contact, and whole cluster, offers the perception of freshness with structure on the palate and the Alois Lageder Löwengang Chardonnay 2020 has great lingering acidity and flinty minerality. And for red wines, the pale-color Alois Lageder Krafuss Pinot Noir 2022 offers savory notes while the Alois Lageder Schiava 2022 is light-bodied with texture and spice notes.

The Future is Female

For Illaria and Helena, stepping into leadership roles at such iconic wineries had its challenges. Illaria Felluga, as the youngest and only woman in the cellar, and the daughter of the owner, had to work harder to prove herself. At Alois Lageder, Helena felt overwhelmed at first, feeling the need to prove herself to her father and brother. But Illaria and Helena are strong and poised women and are exceptional representatives for their family brands.