Dirupi 21 Items

Dirupi is the brainchild of Davide Fasolini and Pierpaolo Di Franco; two of the most energetic and talented young winemakers in Italy today; located in the Lombardy region of Valtellina, just south of the Swiss border. Davide and Pierpalo played basketball together during their primary years in school and then reunited while at University where they both studied winemaking. Following graduation both were broke and without inherited family vineyards, however their passion and drive to showcase the great potential of Valtellina prevailed and they scraped up enough money to rent some vineyards. They started Dirupi in 2004 by renting 15 sites working Monday to Friday working to make the vineyards healthy and then on weekends they supplemented the lack of income by working in a local cocktail bar. Today they have made serious strides and improvements in continuing to farm these small and very steep vineyards, all at different elevations, aspects and varying vine age.

Focused on sustainability and organic practices, they work to maintain these practices as much as possible in the vineyard however this isn’t always possible due to the nature of the climate and difficulties inherent in such challenging conditions and locations. The determination and drive of the Dirupi estate has stirred up other local wine makers to reconsider their methods and practices, offering a fresher face for Valtellina and Nebbiolo from the Alps.

Davide and Pierpalo craft wines of mesmerizing character and complexity at all levels – Valtellina Superiore, Valtellina Superiore Riserva, Sforzato and an entry-level Rosso di Valtellina named ‘Ole’ all of which speak volumes of their land and quest for excellence.