Antonietta Luongo

More than a century after its founding, the Ocone 1910 boutique winery, located at the gates of the medieval village of Ponte, a municipality in the province of Benevento (Campania Region) continues to exercise today, thanks to its history and century-old tradition, all of its charm and importance in the winemaking history of the Sannio Valley. Founded in 1910, the Ocone Vini winery became, in a short space of time, a driving force for the agricultural activity of Campania throughout the first part of the last century. Driven by a spirit of innovation and enthusiasm, in the 1960s and 1970s, it began a phase of renewal of its production capacity focusing essentially on the native grape varietals that characterize the Sannio territory, namely Aglianico, Piedirosso, Falanghina, Greco, Fiano and Coda di Volpe. The year 2018 marks a fundamental milestone in the history of the winery: its acquisition by Euvitis 21. Agricoltura, Territorio e Sviluppo, a company name highlighting the cornerstones at the core of the new ownership’s entrepreneurial initiative and mission: to develop, in a modern and dynamic key, a productive reality of enormous potential, yet at the same time, respecting a highly recognizable territorial identity. The new ownership’s ambitious project is aimed at promoting the native grape varieties of the Campania region fully respecting the environment and sustainability. The territorial micro-economy model is based on a vineyard to transformation synergy between Euvitis 21 and five associated farms, located within a few kilometers from the winery, guaranteeing a complete control of the supply chain and an environmental impact reduced to a minimum. Today, the “Ocone” brand is positioned in the mid-high segment of the market, offering premium and super premium wines from native grape varietals, with the denominations of origin that characterize Sannio Wines - Aglianico del Taburno DOCG, Sannio DOC, and the geographical indication Benevento IGT. Its portfolio includes a Classic Selection, Historic Selection and a Superior Selection. The prestigious and authoritative awards obtained from internationally acclaimed wine critics such as James Suckling, Wine Spectator and The Wine Hunter, just to name a few, testify and highlight the winery’s constant and continual quest to produce wines of the upmost quality. The new ownership has launched an extensive investment plan that has embraced the entire production site, improving both sustainability (clean energy and water management) and its overall technological set-up (grape processing, fermentation, wine evolution, packaging etc.), aimed at reaching ever more higher levels of quality, enhancing its potential while contemporarily safeguarding the environment. Today the winery is evolving more and more versus a new, more dynamic and interactive relationship with its consumers, aimed at transforming the location of wine production into a location of emotional communication with the creation of guest rooms for overnight stays and an elegant wine bar narrating the history permeating every bottle available for tasting on site.