Azienda Agricola Edoardo Patrone, located in the heart of the Lepontine Alps, is a young business founded by Edoardo, alongside his wife Stella, and in collaboration with a team of young, courageous and enterprising winegrowers.
Active since 2017, they have been keeping the tradition of Ossola viticulture alive by taking over vineyards in the area that their owners are no longer able or willing to cultivate. Their mission is to restore the vineyards to health and productivity, thanks to conventional agronomic techniques and hard personal work carried out with passion.
After graduating in “Viticulture and Oenology” from the University of Turin, Edoardo worked in Spain and Australia, while keeping alive his desire to return to the Val d’Ossola to restore the vineyards and contribute to the revival of the area’s winemaking tradition.
Val d’Ossola, the cradle of Azienda Agricola Edoardo Patrone
In the Val d’Ossola, until the 1800s, the cultivation of wine grapes was the focal point of agriculture. The Vagna locality takes its name from the word “vineyard” and is one of the areas of the Val d’Ossola with the highest density of vineyards: more than 40 hectares.
And it was here that Edoardo returned in 2016 to found the winery, after leaving his job in Australia: in an area with sandy loam soil, where vineyards rise around the Toce River, an area rich in basins and spring waters.
In just a few years, Azienda Agricola Edoardo Patrone has extended its cultivation across 5 hectares, spread across municipalities in the Ossola Valleys: Domodossola, Montecrestese and Trontano, in mountainous areas at an altitude of 400/500 metres, where the plants are not affected by late frosts.
NO to the abuse of chemicals, pesticides and herbicides
The members of Azienda Agricola Edoardo Patrone do not like to label themselves as “organic” or “biodynamic”, but proudly claim to cultivate according to the natural cycle. Eco-compatible and eco-sustainable are the terms that represent their methods and philosophy, linked to heroic viticulture, typical of Ossola.
An emblem of the company’s philosophy is the cultivation method typical of these areas: the “toppia” or “topia”, a structure made up of monolithic columns of local stone, completed with horizontal elements of durable chestnut wood.
Prünent vines are still tied with traditional “ligasc”, which allow the plants to breathe freely, make it possible to direct their shoots for the best sun exposure, necessary for the proper ripening of the grapes, and facilitate harvesting.
The wines produced by Azienda Agricola Edoardo Patrone
The company produces red and rosé wines from typical local grape varieties: mainly Merlot and Nebbiolo, the local variety of which is known as Prünent.
In total, current production includes 6 wines: a sparkling rosé, a rosé made from Merlot and Prünent, a single-varietal Merlot red and one made from Prünent. The latter is an ancient wine that has been brought back into the spotlight thanks to Edoardo’s care and dedication. In the Patrone winery’s version, single-varietal Prünent is aged for around one year in small French oak barrels, a wood with aromas that are not overly intrusive and which allows the typical character of the grapes to be retained.
There is no shortage of wines made from blends of local grape varieties, some of them slightly forgotten: Rosoletta, Nigrum, Croatina, Vespolina and Varara. However, particularly noteworthy and the flagship of Azienda Agricola Edoardo Patrone is Vigna Vagna. A wine made from Merlot and Prünent, aged for one year in medium-sized Slavonian oak barrels, which enhance the characteristics of the grapes without overwhelming them.
Visits to our company and tastings
To find out more about the wines, visitors can contact the winery directly, taking the opportunity to enjoy generous tastings and appreciate the wines paired with local products, overlooking the vineyards in the Alps. A visit to Azienda Agricola Edoardo Patrone is literally “an escape to the vineyard”: a relaxing getaway, perfectly organised to meet the needs of modern wine tourism, with the opportunity to be welcomed and guided on interesting tours, or involved in the activities of the company and vineyard. The escape to the vineyard also offers the opportunity to purchase wines directly, otherwise available for sale online on the website.
