4.3 Development continued

Meanwhile, market demand was growing and Luciano's wines were being well-received. So – in agreement with the family – he decided to look for other grapes to vinify. The optimal solution immediately appeared to be expanding the company-owned vineyards. In that period – between the late 1980s and the early 1990s – purchasing batches of quality grapes was beginning to become difficult. On the other hand, for Luciano and also for Luca, purchasing grapes to vinify was never an ideal solution. They would have preferred to produce the grapes themselves, but things were becoming complicated: on one hand, the vineyards for sale were drastically decreasing, while on the other, prices continued to rise. Furthermore, to overcome the difficulties related to the so-called “rights of first refusal,” it was necessary to go through classic lease contracts, but for the Sandrones, this was not a welcome solution.
Thus, they decided to continue selecting certain vineyards deemed worthy of attention and then proceed with their eventual purchase, avoiding shortcuts and compromises. The goal was clear: to grow at the right pace to provide the winery with an adequate viticultural potential and “without biting off more than they could chew”.
It is true that Luciano did not come from a farming background, but by dint of working in close contact with the land and reflecting on agricultural matters, some of that healthy farming philosophy began to belong to him, and so it was not difficult to acquire that wise “modus operandi”.
The three-year period of 1988, 1989, and 1990 was the definitive consecration of Langa and Roero wines on an international level. After endless discussions, concrete enhancement projects, and further in-depth study, those three high-quality vintages began to attract dozens upon dozens of passionate consumers to the Barolo hills who, little by little, established this wine's place among the world's elite, capable of competing with the greatest wines in the world.

“The early nineties – Luca recalls – were truly exciting. The market was in turmoil and we were ready to seize the opportunities that arose. In those years, we purchased new vineyards, such as those in Valmaggiore in the Roero, which represented a new and stimulating challenge for us. Luciano was always in search of excellence and was never satisfied. He wanted each vineyard to give its best, and for every bottle to tell the story of its territory”.
During that period, Luciano's winery began to become too small for the new production needs. It became necessary to think about a new structure, one that was more functional and modern. But for Luciano, the winery was not only to be a place of production, but also a space where he could welcome friends and enthusiasts, where they could discuss wine in total peace.
“The old winery was our home – says Luciano – but we understood that we could no longer stay there. There was a need for space, for rationality. But I wanted the new winery to still be a warm, welcoming place, one that didn't lose that family atmosphere that had always set us apart. So we began to think about the project for a new winery in Barolo, which could represent the fulfillment of our dreams”.

That project would only take shape a few years later, but the foundations had been laid precisely in that period of great strategic development. The Sandrone winery was becoming a solid reality, esteemed in Italy and throughout the world.
And the credit was all due to that contagious passion, to that seriousness in work that Luciano had been able to transmit to his family and to all his collaborators. The road was now paved toward new and prestigious milestones.