Before diving into the story of Vigneti Repetto Winery and the Timorasso grape variety, it is useful to first say something about the 5StarWines – the Book Digital Catalogue. It is a project of such significance that I feel compelled to share it with the widest possible audience, from industry professionals to passionate wine enthusiasts.
5StarWines – the Book is a highly curated portfolio within the Vinitaly universe. Essentially, it’s a guarantee of quality, showcasing the best and most promising labels from Italy’s diverse wine regions. Over three days, a panel of 60 judges conduct blind tastings of 2,200 wine samples to ensure completely unbiased evaluations. Wines that score a minimum of 90 out of 100 points in the blind tasting qualify for the second stage of assessment by the General Chairs (a council of head judges), who determine the final score. The selected 760 wines and the nine special Trophies winners are published on 318 digital pages in the 5StarWines – the Book guide, available in a digital format complete with personalized tasting notes. Key benefits for the winners include features on WineSearcher.com, inclusion in the Vinitaly Plus catalog, participation in the Italian Wine Podcast, digital tasting notes published across Vinitaly’s official social media channels, and most importantly, strategic wine promotion. 
Ekaterina Vislinskaya IWA presenting 5StarWines – the Book wines at Vinitaly Kazakhstan Roadshow 2025
Recently, Vinitaly has strategically expanded into the Asian market. On 7 July 2025 it was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan. That event marked a significant professional milestone for me as I was entrusted with exhibiting one of the event’s key highlights – the 5StarWines – the Book curated section. Among the nine winners of the digital guide 5StarWines – the Book, which I represented, the Vigneti Repetto winery was recognized as the “Best White Wine of the Year – 2025” for its signature Colli Tortonesi DOC Timorasso Derthona Quadro 2022 Vigneti Repetto di Repetto Gian Paolo.
Anna Obukhovskaia IWA interviewed Sara Repetto, Wine Ambassador and Export Manager at Vigneti Repetto winery, on the Italian Wine Podcast (Episode 2308).
“I’m really proud to work with Gian Paolo and Marina Repetto because they make excellent wines, and, most importantly, they are wonderful people! Wine is made by people, for people, and I feel blessed every day to share our story and philosophy worldwide. Every time I talk about the story behind the winery. I love to recall this quote by Victor Hugo: “Do as trees do: change your leaves but keep your roots, this perfectly represents us, it describes our philosophy as a winery.”
The story behind Vigneti Repetto
It’s a story of homecoming. Gian Paolo and Marina Repetto, the owners, after a life spent in another kind of business, decided to go back to their agricultural roots. They became the owners of a vineyard and started a new project which aimed to combine technology and eco-sustainability. Through sustained growth and development, the winery has established its key markets. The core market is Italy. However, Vigneti Repetto also distributes to a global network of clients in the USA, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the UK, and in Asia, specifically Korea.
Gian Paolo and Marina Repetto
The winery is focused on native grape varieties: Barbera (on the red side) and Timorasso (on the white). They thrive in the province Alessandria, on the border with Lombardy and Liguria, in the beautiful southeastern corner of Piedmont, Terre Derthona, Colli Tortonesi area. Now the company covers 26 hectares, 18 of them under vine situated between 240 and 340 metres above the sea level. Excellent exposure and the nine million years of history lie within the famous Tortognano soil of Colli Tortonesi. Where Vigneti Repetto’s vines now grow was once the floor of a prehistoric sea.
“Fossils are a common feature of our terroir, ” says Sara Repetto. “Another specificity of the terroir is the Marne di Sant’Agata, a formation that is native to this particular corner of Piedmont. Sant Agata is the name of the little village of the appellation. And so, these types of soil combined with our microclimate gives Colli Tortonesi wines minerality, longevity, elegance.”
That’s why Timorasso Derthona wines can be described as deep lemon color. Intense fruity scents of pear, apricot and peach jump from the glass often with a hint of tropical fruits. Honey notes are also typical, and so are the floral aromas of acacia and hawthorn. After 2-3 years of aging, minerality becomes more noticeable, accompanied by tertiary notes that refine the wine. Moreover, with more time in the bottle, complexity, balance, power, and finesse come together in a mouth-filling character. Aging brings out the aromatic notes, the petrol and the hydrocarbons, which are a remarkable feature of the Timorasso varietal.
Sara exclaims, “Now Derthona is living a kind of a golden moment in Italy, everybody wants Derthona, needs Derthona, drinks Derthona! To clarify, Timorasso is the name of the grape, but the name of the wine is Derthona. Derthona is the small capital of the appellation, the ancient Roman city of Tortona and the Latin name of Tortona is Derthona… it’s important to mark this because great wines are always tied to a land name.”
The one which stands out. Exploring Timorasso.
For those unfamiliar with the variety, Sara shared this colorful description of Timorasso: “I like to describe the Timorasso grape variety as a very-very unique experience. Something that is unexpected for an Italian white wine. If I have to describe Timorasso to someone who has never tasted it before, I ask a question: Do you like Chenin Blanc, Assyrtiko from Santorini? If they say “yes”, I am sure they will love Timorasso. It is a wine with a very strong personality, for sure it’s unforgettable. When you taste it, you will never forget, I am sure about that!”
Timorasso (Derthona/Tortona) is one of Italy’s most distinctive white wines. Mainly found in the Colli Tortonesi wine region (combines marine soils, mountain air, and Ligurian breezes – a terroir that imparts salinity and depth) in southeastern Piedmont, Timorasso is highly regarded for its ability to age and achieve complexity. However, it was once almost abandoned due to viticultural challenges and its irregular yield. As a grape, it has been present in the province of Alessandria for centuries, with the first written records confirming its existence coming from an agricultural treatise written in the 14th century.
The Bollettino Ampelografico di Rovasenda (1885) indicates that in the late 19th century, Timorasso was the most widely cultivated varietal in the area around Tortona, formerly known as Derthona. In modern times, the winemaker Walter Massa has been acknowledged for single-handedly rescuing the grape from extinction and initiating a crusade for its resurgence. He produced the first vintage of a 100% Timorasso in 1987 from less than 500 vines rescued on his estate. He recognized that extended lees contact could help the wine to develop complexity as it does not benefit from oak aging. From a few hectares in the late 1980s to the current 250 under cultivation, Timorasso’s meteoric rise has called for the introduction of the Colli Tortonesi Derthona subzone (source: Italian Wine Unplugged 2.0).
Timorasso Derthona’s reputation is rapidly growing from local pride to global recognition. Timorasso nowadays is positioned as a premium to super-premium wine.
“I love Timorasso”, Sara Repetto enthused, “yes, today it represents the main project in my professional life, but I can still remember my first time I tasted it many years ago and it was like a bomb, it was love at first sip!”
I totally agree with Sara. Tasting a wine produced from the Timorasso grape, even just one sip, guarantees a memorable experience.
At the Vinitaly Kazakhstan Roadshow, I asked visitors if they had ever tasted a wine made from the Timorasso grape variety. The response was almost a universal “No”. I urged them not to miss this rare opportunity to try this unforgettable wine. And you know what? From the very first moment the guests were overwhelmed with the emotions, beginning with a skeptical raising of an eyebrow, as if to say, “Is this even possible?” and culminating in a sense of profound acceptance and gratitude for a personal revelation within the boundless universe of wine.
And yes, always opt for the best producers.
Photo Credit: Vigneti Repetto
About the Author
Ekaterina Vislinskaya, from Yekaterinburg, Russia, is a certified sommelier and wine blogger. She holds the WSET Level 3 qualification and is a certified Italian Wine Ambassador (IWA) through the Vinitaly International Academy. Ekaterina contributes as a guest blogger for the Italian Wine Podcast and is an avid wine trotter. Her passion is Italian wines, with a focus on exploring and sharing insights on wine tourism and viticulture.
Listen to the Full episode to learn more about Vigneti Repetto Winery:
