To Marina Cvetic, “soul” of Masciarelli, the Khail Prize 2024, presented at “VinoVip Cortina”

She has been able to exalt the values of elegance and creativity, distinguishing herself through patronage activities, the expansion of the product offer and the opening of new markets, guaranteeing the continuity of an Italian family business, today an example of excellence worldwide: with these motivations, the entrepreneur Marina Cvetic, sole director of Masciarelli Tenute Agricole, received, on the occasion of “VinoVip Cortina”, the Khail 2024 Award, the prestigious recognition of “Civiltà del Bere”. Before her, at “VinoVip Cortina” - the biennial event organized by the historic magazine and dedicated to the excellence of Italian wine, through meetings and tastings in which wineries tell their stories and present their wines to an audience of professionals and wine lovers - important personalities from the world of wine, from Piero Antinori to Lucio Tasca d’Almerita, from Chiara Lungarotti to Attilio Scienza, collected the award.
In recent years the entrepreneur has continued with dedication and commitment the work she started together with her husband Gianni Masciarelli. “Receiving this award”, says Marina Cvetic, “is for us a recognition of our daily commitment and the passion we put into our work. I will never stop saying that Abruzzo is a region yet to be discovered and enhanced, and I am glad that, through our work, more and more people appreciate its wine and food heritage and the beauty of the nature that surrounds us. I am proud to have passed on these values to my children and now, together with them, we guard our land, which we consider a precious gift to be protected with gratitude, promoting sustainability and taking care of the territory and its biodiversity”. Marina Cvetic’s destiny in the world of wine is already marked from an early age, when she grew up in Belgrade among the family vineyards and then studied Food Technology at university. The late 1980s saw the meeting with Gianni Masciarelli, among the most important architects of the renewal of Abruzzo winemaking, from whom three children were born: Miriam Lee, Chiara and Riccardo. After her husband’s untimely death in 2008, Cvetic took the reins of the winery, keeping it one of the icons of Italian wine and giving it an increasingly international scope.
The award, established by Alessandro Torcoli, editor-in-chief of “Civiltà del Bere”, commemorates journalist Pino Khail, founder of the magazine and a pioneer in the promotion of quality Italian wine. Over the years the Khail Prize has been awarded to outstanding producers, journalists and scientific popularizers in the wine world, thus celebrating the excellence of the Italian wine sector and promoting the culture of quality wine. Winners to date have been Lucio Caputo, president Italian Wine & Food Institute (2011), Lucio Tasca d’Almerita (producer, 2013), Piero Antinori (producer, 2015), Pio Boffa of Pio Cesare (producer, 2017), Cesare Pillon (journalist, 2018), Piero Mastroberardino (producer, 2019), Chiara Lungarotti (producer, 2022), Attilio Scienza (professor and science popularizer, 2023).
“VinoVip Cortina” 2024 will continue on today’s day, entirely dedicated to tastings and meetings with producers. From the conference with tasting “Cabernet vs Cabernet”, a focus dedicated to Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, to the most anticipated event, the “Wine Tasting of the Eagles”. At more than 2,000 meters above sea level, the Dolomites will be the backdrop for an exclusive high-altitude tasting desk, which will feature more than 170 Italian wines and spirits, from the great classics to new discoveries.