4.4 Improving the details

After the happy experience of 1982, Luciano never stopped participating in Vinitaly in Verona and thus managed to meet and get to know many operators and enthusiasts, especially Italians. Bit by bit, he created a good distribution of his wines in Italy. And on this foundation, he was subsequently able to build his market in the rest of the world as well. Gradually, he began to sell outside national borders too.
In particular, thanks to Gabriele Cionini, a Tuscan from Pisa who had moved to Paris, Luciano also began to sell in France. With Cionini's collaboration, he had also begun to revise his label. Cionini was a graphic designer by training and so he designed Luciano's new label, the one still used today with that blue rectangle which over time has become the company's graphic symbol.
“But I was so attached to my first label – Luciano confesses – that I struggled even at the thought of changing it. Cionini had to insist quite a lot to make me accept the idea of a new graphic look and then to convince me to use it. In fact, I put it on a table to wait, as if there was a need for further evaluations or subsequent comparisons. And when I decided to show it to some clients or collaborators, I became even more uncertain. It seemed like I was doing everything not to like it: the opinions of my interlocutors were often discordant, and this created even more uncertainty for me. The strange thing is that everyone else in the company was in favor of that image change. The most reluctant – needless to say – was me. Then, one fine day, my resistance gave way. It was the young people, Luca and Barbara, who convinced me. Little by little, I agreed to switch from the label in use to the new one. The definitive debut of the “Cionini” label took place with the 1985 Barolo Cannubi Boschis, which was released on the market in 1989. The use of the new packaging on the other wines happened more gradually. I started with the Dolcetto d’Alba, which at the time had a great appeal to consumers, and then continued with the Nebbiolo d’Alba Valmaggiore and the Barbera d’Alba”.

It was also through the change of label that Luciano gave a signal of renewal and modernity. It was not just an aesthetic matter, but the testimony of a precise will to keep up with the times, to face a world that was changing rapidly.
At the same time, participating in trade fairs and international meetings allowed him to better understand the needs of foreign consumers. He understood that Barolo was a wine that needed time to be understood, but once won over, the consumer became a loyal supporter.
“The promotional work – Luciano concludes – was tiring but very rewarding. Seeing that my wines were appreciated in London, New York, and Tokyo filled me with pride. I understood that my dream was really coming true. But I didn't feel like I had arrived because of that. I knew there was still so much to do, that we had to continue to improve every small detail, both in the vineyard and in the cellar. Because perfection doesn't exist, but the search for quality must be continuous and tireless”.

These years of the late eighties and early nineties were for Luciano Sandrone years of great changes and great satisfaction. The company was now a recognized and appreciated reality, an example of how passion and dedication can lead to extraordinary results.
And the best was yet to come.