Denise graduated from Montpellier SupAgro & Bordeaux Sciences Agro in France, as well as the University of Turin in Italy,
with a dual master's degree in viticulture, enology, wine economy and management.
Till now, Denise has worked in the wine industry for more than eight years,
and her wine footprint can be traced to Italy, France, Germany, New Zealand and other countries.
In 2014, Denise arrived in China, where she served as winemaker and consultant for several Chinese wineries,
as well as a lecturer at Northwest A&F University. In 2015,
Denise was selected to take part in the second China winemaker's competition in Ningxia
and experienced a memorable international competition for the Chinese wine making.
With regard to wine-making, Denise has always had her own insistence on exploring the characteristics
and the potential of the grape varieties to fully express the local terroir characteristics in order to produce the most classic and elegant wines.
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1. What’s your role in Chateau Nine Peaks? I am the Cellar Master. I am in charge of wine production supervision from grapes till bottles!
2. What bottle sparked your love of wine? There were and there are still many! One of the first was Aldo Conterno Gran Bussia Barolo Riserva 2000, such a fresh, generous and age-worthy wine!
3. What or who inspired you to the wine industry? The beauty and story of place and the passion of people around wines always fascinated me together
with all the science that there is inside a bottle of wine, from microbiology to chemistry and physics!
4. What’s your favorite part of the job? I love harvest time, feel the excitement of a new wine’ birth,
it is a tiring time but also very rewarding after 1 year of work in the vineyard.
5. How did you arrive at the position you are in today? Through study and hard work! I studied winemaking and viticulture for 5 years in Italy and
France meanwhile I was learning make wine around the world: Italy, France, Germany, New Zealand.
6. If you could give your younger self advice when starting in this industry, what would it be? Ask more questions and think wine outside the box.
7. If you weren’t in wine industry, what would you be doing and why? Interior designer, I love creativity and beauty.
8. When is your first trip to China? I came in China, for the first time, in 2014. I had planned to stay 5 months, but then I ended up stay a bit longer!
9. What makes you most proud to be working in China? I am proud to be, through my work in C9P, part of China wine industry development towards the production of high-quality wines.
10. What to date has been your most memorable wine experience in China? I had many! But surely took part to the Ningxia Winemakers Challenge was one of a lifetime experience.
Making wine and sharing wine knowledge with others 48 winemakers coming from18 different countries, it was just amazing!
11. How did you meet Chateau Nine Peaks? I had the chance to know and taste C9P’wines for the first time at Vinexpo HK.
I felt very impressed at the time by the amazing project and thought it would be pretty
courageous for a winemaker to embrace it, so when I knew they were looking for a winemaker I sent my candidacy!
12. What do you expect for Chateau Nine Peaks? I expect for C9P to growth better and wider being constant and always focus on high quality production,
to experience more with different varieties rather than CS, and find a truly identity of our terroir.
13. Where would your fantasy vineyard be? Nearby my hometown, in southern Italy.
14. What’s your ultimate food and wine pairing? Our Pinkker rose’ wine with spicy hot pot!
15. What’s your go-to drink at the end of a long day? It depends. After a long harvest day, I might love just having a chilled beer!
16. Whom do you most want to drink with on your 80th birthday? With family and the closest friends, I will make along my way.
