4.1 Emerging stronger from problems

Meanwhile, in the spring of 1986, a very serious scandal shook the wine world, with its epicenter particularly in Piedmont: the methanol case had broken out. These were very difficult days for the entire sector. Imagine the challenge for small businesses that were taking their first steps, like Luciano's new winery. It is true that they did not belong to that group of unscrupulous producers who had poisoned the wine, partly out of ignorance and partly out of greed, but wine in its entirety had come under fire. Newspapers and television stations rode the wave with often sensationalist attitudes. Everyone was tarred with the same brush, and it was difficult even for quality producers not to suffer the insult. Public and private institutions closed ranks and tried to distinguish serious production from more unscrupulous ones, but for a consumer who was not too well-informed, it remained difficult to separate the rotten from the healthy.
Furthermore, the reactions of international markets complicated the situation: many foreign countries applied restrictions on the import of Italian wines, often introducing the obligation of additional analyses and certifications in an attempt to curb the phenomenon. But these further barriers complicated the situation even more, especially for small companies. Because of a few scoundrels, many were paying the price. And it would take a long time to overcome such a critical phase.

The memory of those years and that serious setback remained vivid in the minds of producers for a long time. Even now, years later, bitterness is mixed with anger.
“Every now and then – Luciano recalls with a veil of sadness – that damned methanol scandal comes back to my mind and it still hurts. Thinking that I had invested all my savings in my business, that I had always tried to do my best, with honesty and commitment, and that everything was being called into question because of criminals, wounded me deeply. But then, once the moment of discouragement had passed, I tried to react. I understood that the only solution was to make customers and the market understand that we were different, that ours was a healthy, clean product, an authentic expression of our land. In those years of mud, we had to emerge with the strength of our reliability. And so it was. Little by little, the customers who knew us came back to see us and the market regained confidence. Paradoxically, that scandal served to clean house and to allow quality producers to emerge, those who worked with conscience and respect for the consumer. We emerged from that tunnel stronger and more aware than before”.
In that difficult context, the help of some collaborators and friends, who continued to believe in Luciano's work, was fundamental. But, above all, his stubbornness was important, his desire to never give up in the face of difficulties.
“In those moments – Mariuccia intervenes – Luciano was a lion. He never let himself be discouraged and continued to work in the vineyard and in the cellar with incredible grit. He always told me: “You'll see, Mariuccia, that people will understand that we work well. Quality always pays off in the end”. And he was right”.

Once the methanol crisis was over, the company resumed its progress. But that lesson remained etched in the memory of Luciano and the whole family: quality is not just a technical objective, but an essential ethical value, the only one capable of guaranteeing the survival and success of a small farm.
It was precisely in those years that Luciano began to think about new projects, new vineyards to buy, and new wines to produce. The desire to grow had not diminished; on the contrary, it had grown stronger.