When Celia and Will attended their first Vinitaly, they quickly discovered they had different tastes in wine. Will was drawn to light, approachable wines that would appeal to a broad audience, while Celia sought whites with more texture that required a bit more contemplation. While exploring the event, they came across a booth tucked away in a corner, where sommeliers were pouring wines from Liguria. When they tasted Fontanacota’s offerings, their eyes lit up. They knew they had found the perfect balance—the Goldilocks of wineries. The next day, they sat down with Ludovico, the youngest member of the Berta family that operates Fontanacota, to talk not only about the wines but also to hear his vision for increasing the quality and visibility of Liguria’s wine scene. A year later, we’re thrilled to be showcasing Fontanacota’s wines and helping Ludovico and his friends to reach a wider audience.

The story of Fontanacota begins in the 1930s in the Valle Prino of Liguria, with Ottavio Berta, a farmer who cultivated the land of his family’s farm. Alongside his olive groves and vegetable gardens—where his artichoke production flourished—Ottavio also tended to his vineyards, selling the wine locally. His son, Giovanni Battista, returned from the Second World War to focus on cultivating fruit and vegetables, while his sister, Rosa, took the family’s products to the covered market in Porto Maurizio. The third brother, Antonio, chose a different path but maintained a deep connection to the land.

After Giovanni Battista’s passing, the cultivation of fruit and vegetables became increasingly difficult and unprofitable. In the late 1980s, inspired by the establishment of the DOC Riviera Ligure di Ponente in 1988, Antonio and his son Fabio decided to convert more of the family’s land into vineyards, with a particular focus on the Vermentino grape. Thus, Fontanacota was born, symbolized by its unmistakable logo—the hoopoe, chosen by Fabio and designed by his wife Cristina. The hoopoe, a symbol of spring and renewal, reflected their hopes for new growth, much like the fresh shoots emerging from the vines after winter’s rest.

Initially, the family sold their grapes, but soon they began producing their own wine using the facilities of local cooperatives. In 2001, Fabio and his sister Marina decided it was time to build their own winery, so they purchased their own equipment and set up production in an old village house located in the the town of Pornassio- a place rich in winemaking history. 

Today, the family-run winery spans approximately 4 hectares in Val Prino, where rows of Vermentino are planted alongside Pigato, Rossese, and Granaccia. Marina’s son, Andreas, and Fabio’s son, Ludovico, have both joined the family business, and Fontanacota’s future looks bright with their vision for expanding the vineyards, modernizing the winery, and sharing Fontanacota’s wines with the world.