INTERVIEW Brigaldara owner says climate change is scary, but heritage must endure

Brigaldara's Cavolo Vineyard in Grezzana, Italy / Courtesy of Shinsegae L&B

By Ko Dong-hwan

• Published Aug 6, 2026 8:31 AM KST

Antonio Cesari hails partnership with Shinsegae

Antonio Cesari, the owner of the century-old Italian winery Brigaldara, faces a set of challenges that his father Stefano Cesari did not have to contend with when he began distributing the family’s wines in 1979.

One of the younger Cesari's concerns is climate change, which has made weather conditions in Valpolicella, a renowned wine-producing region in Italy, more extreme than ever.

For a traditional winery like Brigaldara, which depends on nature, the heat waves and wildfires now rampaging across the Europe are hard to ignore. But Cesari keeps reminding himself of what he can and cannot control.

Cesari noted that while France, Spain and Greece are currently experiencing massive wildfires, Italy hasn’t experienced natural disasters on the same scale this year.

"Still, it has been warmer than Korea in Italy and it has been like that almost all summer. The quantity of water is now almost zero and it’s going to be quite difficult. In January, meanwhile, the cold was so extreme we got 10 days under zero degree Celsius. That wasn’t normal for Mediterranean,” Cesari said at a press conference in Seoul, Tuesday.

“The last vintage that literally hasn’t been problematic due to the climate change was in 2021. Yes, I am scared and I think the future of my job is terrible. Everything is extreme.”

Despite weather conditions, Cesari is determined to sustain his family’s winery in the Veneto region. Brigaldara’s ongoing trade with Shinsegae L&B, a liquor business arm of Shinsegae Group, has encouraged his latest visit to Seoul. He dubbed Korea “one of the best markets we can get.”

“We were quite shocked when Shinsegae contacted us in 2018. I cannot complain. We’re very happy,” he said.

The partnership with Shinsegae is one of Cesari’s accomplishments. He said his father had to deal with other challenges, including building the business environment for Brigaldara from scratch, eventually leading to partnerships like the one he has been able to establish with Shinsegae.

“Valpolicella became famous because of wine experts from my father’s generation. Back then, local wine markets in Italy were completely free so my father drove everywhere, including Munich, to where he drove three hours from Verona to sell everything. They were the ones who grew up the market,” he said.

“We, on the other hand, were born richer. We could study and graduate universities. Our challenges are different from our fathers because the market is now opposite. They don’t drink and the market is decreasing. The market is now looking for fresher wines, easier drinking wines and different styles. Both generations, however, have the same goal — growing the grapes in the best way possible.”

With a total of 47 acres of vineyards across Italy, Brigaldara sticks to traditional wines and varieties, forgoing blends on demands from international consumers. Cesari also knows his family brand and the wine industry at large are concerned with decreasing wine consumption among younger generations.

“Non-alcoholic products are coming to the market. Maybe the future market will be dominated by non-alcohol or low-alcohol products. Somewhere along the line, alcohol became a public enemy,” he said.

“So we focus on how good and not dangerous the wine is. My grandparents and my father always got one glass of wine every day. It was part of the diet and a way of life. Brigaldara doesn’t want to make wine that kills you. We want to make a wine that you can enjoy and can be part of your life.”