Masi: 250 vintages, family and entrepreneurship, according to “Mr Amarone” Sandro Boscaini

“The Veronese? I love them ... Come and see how-how much I drink in the Masi winery in Marano and you'll be convinced. Here the Boscaini, the owners, have selected the crus ... it would always be vinified by selection, the fame of these wines would run the world”: ipse dixit Luigi Veronelli, the master of Italian food and wine journalism, whose thoughts and words, of great relevance, accompany the reading of the volume “Amarone and beyond. Masi: 250 vintages, family and entrepreneurship”, which sees “Mr. Amarone” Sandro Boscaini, president of Masi Agricola, take on the role of writer to tell the fascinating story of Valpolicella and its great wines, through the vicissitudes of the famous label, its family and its entrepreneurial vision.
“I am about to tell the story of an encounter: that between one of my ancestors and a locality in Valpolicella Classica. The first, identified here as the progenitor of my branch of the Boscaini family. The second, a fortunate land like others, vocated to produce extraordinary grapes and for this reason destined to be known and appreciated in Italy and the world”. It is with this incipit that Sandro Boscaini invites readers to embark on a two-and-a-half-century-long journey narrated in “Amarone e oltre” (Egea Editore, September 2022, preface by Giuseppe Lupo, pp. 160, cover price €20), in which he traces the history of the family business, from the first vintage in 1772 to the present day, in which Masi Agricola has celebrated 250 years of vintages (recounted by WineNews, in a video, through the reflections of critics such as Monica Larner, Herald Scholl, Ray Isle, Jens Priewe and Carlo Cambi on the value not only economic, but historical and narrative, of old vintages of a great wine, in the wake of the teaching of “Gino” Veronelli, ed.).
An exponent of the sixth generation of a dynasty that has made love and rootedness in its land, Valpolicella, and its princely product, Amarone, the driving force for a business and a brand that have conquered the world, Boscaini takes us along a fascinating and lively narrative, in which the vicissitudes of history are intertwined with those of the family, of wineries and vineyards, and of the territory, starting from its own valley to the Venezie, a true “cultural terroir”. The narrative of entrepreneurial choices unfolds between respect for tradition and innovation of processes and products, leaving room for personal anecdotes and technical curiosities, first-hand accounts and literary sources.
The chronological trend of the first part of the volume gives way in the second to a more managerial point of view and, between history and current events, the gaze rests on the issues on the agenda in the management of the company, giving an account of choices, values and group and brand strategies that still retain validity today. “I believe”, the author explains, “that the contextualization of the family's events in the general events of national and territorial scope is of extreme importance to read with a broader perspective the territory and its culture, the vineyard and the winemaking professionalism, passion and entrepreneurship, business culture and sustainability”.
A word, the latter, that is very much in fashion, but which after all has always represented a fundamental value for a company that is able to stand the test of time and generate a concrete, long-term impact on the world around it. “Without economic sustainability”, according to the president of Masi Agricola, “there would have been no development and survival of the company; without social sustainability, indispensable relationships in production and distribution would not have been created and developed; without environmental sustainability and love for the land and the vineyard, sources of wealth would have been destroyed over time. However, there are those who have known and live it with conviction for what it is: a true value and not just marketing. This is the case of Masi and the Boscaini family who”, “Mr. Amarone” concludes, “as I have been able to ascertain from the research conducted to draw up the pages that follow, have always lived in nature, at a human pace. In difficulties, as in moments of greatest growth, there has always been a focus on making sure that every action made sense, was respectful and commensurate with one's possibilities”.
Because, as the title of the book states, if “Amarone” immediately calls to mind the name Masi (and vice versa), it is precisely “the beyond” that makes one of the most important realities of Italian wine, among the very few listed on the stock exchange, a case history of made in Italy for historicity, vision, strategy and results.