Frecciarossa
Mario Odero founded Frecciarossa in Oltrepò Pavese in 1919, an area some have called the “Bermuda Triangle” of northwestern Italy, lost between its more famous neighbors like Piemonte, Liguria, and Emilia-Romagna. Originally an Italian merchant who split his time between Genova and England, he fell in love with the hills and vineyards surrounding a local villa. His son, Giorgio Odero, continuing his father’s same passion for wine and country life, studied wine and agronomy in Champagne and Burgundy to better understand Pinot Noir. By the 1920’s, Frecciarossa had become a well-known winery and estate far beyond the confines of Oltrepò Pavese. So much so that Alfred Hitchcock, while staying at Lake Como’s famous Villa D’Este, wrote on the back of its menu “In Italia our first wine from 1925 was Frecciarossa ‘La Vigne’ Bianca.” Today, Valeria Radici Odero, the great granddaughter of Mario Odero, manages this historic, 37-hectare estate and has fast-forwarded it into producing ever-more compelling, sustainable fine wines.
