When Federica Boffa’s father, Pio, passed away due to complications of Covid-19, he left big shoes to fill. Pio Cesare was the owner of Pio Cesare. The fourth generation of his family to run one of the few remaining wineries in Barolo, Barbaresco and other regions. She was only 23.
Boffa was trained to be a winemaker as the heir-apparent. Pio taught Boffa how to love her winery to its core. “My father made me fall in love with wine,” she says. “He used to bring me to the vineyards when I was a little girl and tell me stories about Nebbiolo, our terroir, our microclimate and our soils.”
23 is still a young age to be the leader of a historic winery. Barolos single-vineyard bottlings from her family have been highly praised for many years. The pressure she faced—and continues to face—is intense. “The most challenging aspect is being a very young woman at the helm of a very historical and prestigious brand operating in a traditionally ‘old-man’ business,” says Boffa. “I’m presenting our wines and older vintages to our buyers, and almost all were produced before I was born.”
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