Paolo Noemia d'Amico

Family backgrounds

Paolo d’Amico descends from three generations of shipowners. His interest in wine began in childhood, while walking through the old cellars of the family home. He continued his career in shipping but retained this early attachment to wine.

Noemia was born in Rio de Janeiro into a Portuguese family originating in Porto. Her grandparents carried Porto’s wine tradition with them when they emigrated to Brazil. Before the wine project, Noemia worked for Maison Christian Dior for ten years. Wine was the passion that united the couple’s otherwise different professional and cultural backgrounds.

Arrival in Vaiano and foundation in 1985

In the mid-1980s, Paolo and Noemia reached Vaiano in Tuscia after deciding not to establish themselves in Tuscany. They encountered a former farmer’s house and agricultural land overlooking the Valle dei Calanchi. In 1985 they founded the Paolo e Noemia d’Amico company and named their country estate Villa Tirrena.

The first stage centred on the restoration of the farmhouse, retaining original materials wherever possible. The couple planted the first 5 ha of vineyard, principally with Chardonnay. The estate’s first wine was subsequently named Calanchi di Vaiano after its place of origin.

Development of the vineyards, cellar and gardens

Following the restoration of the residence, further vineyards were planted and cellars were excavated into the local volcanic tuff. The vineyard holding eventually expanded to more than 30 ha; the estate description gives a current figure of 31 ha. Both regional varieties and international cultivars became part of the vineyard programme.

Noemia d’Amico and architect Luca Brasini created a cellar comprising two distinct areas. The older section, cut into volcanic tuff beneath the hanging garden, was assigned to maturation. A modern section accommodates vinification, bottling and labelling. Structural tuff arches lead through the underground complex towards a library and a dedicated tasting room where historic vintages are kept. Classical music accompanies the wines during their time in the cellar.

Noemia also began developing a garden to house the couple’s growing collection of modern and contemporary sculpture. Conceived as an open-air museum composed of garden rooms, it expanded progressively as new works were acquired. The gardens and cellar architecture were integrated into a single ensemble above and below ground.

Expansion of the wine project

The original Chardonnay plantings were joined by Grechetto, Procanico, Trebbiano, Pinot Grigio, Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. The family selected Pinot Noir material from beyond the Alps as part of a research project inspired by its interest in Burgundy. Cabernet Franc was assigned a specific parcel whose microclimate and volcanic terroir supported full ripening.

The range grew across Lazio IGP, Umbria IGP and Orvieto DOP. It combined native varieties with French cultivars and explored stainless steel, French oak and amphora. The owners remained closely involved in production, personally supervising the work carried out by the technical team. A 2021 catalogue identified Guillaume Gelly as both oenologist and agronomist.

The estate today

Villa Tirrena remains the d’Amico family’s country home as well as a working farm, vineyard and hospitality property. The vineyards and olive groves surround a 16th-century residence, a 13th-century tower and a sculpture garden overlooking the Valle dei Calanchi. The winery has been managed according to organic principles, although the latest catalogue explicitly records that it is not formally certified.

Location and landscape

The estate lies at Località Palombaro in Vaiano, within Castiglione in Teverina, at the meeting point of Northern Lazio and Umbria and close to Tuscany. It overlooks the Valle dei Calanchi and faces Civita di Bagnoregio. The valley forms part of Tuscia, a geographical area covering much of Northern Lazio.

The calanchi are deeply eroded badlands produced over centuries by water, rain and wind. Continuing erosion exposed and formed distinct layers of local rock, creating the sharply incised landscape visible from the property.

Volcanic origin and soils

The estate’s soils originated thousands of years ago through the activity of the nearby Bolsena volcano. Volcanic tuff and peperino are recurrent geological components, while the ground is described as mineral-rich. The combination of volcanic material and layered local rock is associated with full, balanced ripening and a pronounced mineral and saline character.

Elevation, aspect and temperature range

The vineyards occupy different elevations across the Lazio and Umbria sides of the property, approximately 300–550 m above sea level. They benefit from favourable orientation and marked day-to-night temperature variation. Individual vineyard settings include Chardonnay around 300 m, Cabernet Franc around 450 m, Orvieto varieties around 480 m, and Pinot Noir around 550 m. A specific Cabernet Franc parcel is distinguished by a microclimate suited to full ripening.

The vineyard holding is managed according to the principles of organic agriculture but is not formally certified. Work follows every stage of the vines’ vegetative cycle with the stated aim of preserving the characteristics of the volcanic terroir and securing full, balanced ripeness.

Harvesting is entirely manual. Grapes are selected in the estate vineyards and picked with particular care so that bunches remain intact until they reach the winery. The production philosophy places primary responsibility for quality in the vineyard, supported by close attention throughout the growing season.

The estate grows local and international varieties rather than limiting itself to one group. Research has included the selection of Pinot Noir material from beyond the Alps and its adaptation to volcanic soils, as well as the identification of a specific Cabernet Franc parcel with a favourable microclimate.

Cellar architecture and workflow

The cellar designed by Noemia d’Amico and Luca Brasini is divided into two functional zones. An older underground section carved from volcanic tuff is used for maturation. A newer section houses vinification, bottling and labelling. The underground route passes beneath the hanging sculpture garden through structural tuff arches towards a library and a candlelit tasting room containing historic vintages.

Fruit and oversight

The harvest is manual, and selected estate-grown grapes are handled carefully to preserve bunch integrity on their journey to the cellar. A 2021 production description assigned step-by-step technical responsibility to oenologist and agronomist Guillaume Gelly, with Paolo and Noemia closely supervising the full process and giving the wines a personal direction.

Vessels and maturation

Stainless steel is used for fresh, unwooded expressions of native and international varieties. French oak barriques of first, second and third use are employed for selected Chardonnay and red wines; some regimes incorporate a stated proportion of new oak. Bottle maturation follows barrel or tank ageing for several wines. Amphora is part of the estate’s work with Grechetto, combining an ancient vessel with modern research and a search for a pure expression of the volcanic site.

The wines mature in the underground tuff cellar to a background of classical music. Historic vintages are retained beside the library and tasting room.