Marina Cvetić: The Soul of Abruzzo

There are people who turn Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous phrase 'I have a dream' into reality. One of them was Gianni Masciarelli, a man who saw in the hills of Abruzzo what others could not: vineyards capable of achieving global fame, a Montepulciano grape worthy of the grand stage, and a region just waiting for someone to take it seriously. That dream did not remain a solitary endeavor. It was shared by the woman he met in 1987, Marina Cvetić, his wife and business partner, and, following his untimely passing in 2008, the heiress to that vision. 

Today, Marina leads Masciarelli alongside her daughter, Miriam Lee. From an initial 2.5 hectares of vineyards, production has grown to 320 hectares and two million bottles annually. The winery stands among the leading producers of red Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, while their Castello di Semivicoli, a restored 17th-century castle, serves as a symbol of luxury wine tourism and hospitality.

During September, Marina Cvetić was a special guest at the Taste the Mediterranean festival in Mali Lošinj, where her wines were served at an exclusive dinner at the Alfred Keller restaurant at the Boutique Hotel Alhambra. The timing for this conversation could hardly have been better: the wine line bearing her name is marking its 35th anniversary, and Italian President Sergio Mattarella recently honored her with the prestigious title of Knight of Labor (Cavaliere del Lavoro).

AMONG THE KNIGHTS OF LABOR, WE FIND NAMES LIKE ENZO FERRARI, GIORGIO ARMANI, AND MIUCCIA PRADA. HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE IN SUCH COMPANY, AND WHAT DOES THIS RECOGNITION MEAN TO YOU PERSONALLY?
Receiving this honor represents an extraordinary privilege and deep emotion for me, as well as a great responsibility, both as a woman and as someone who made Abruzzo her home through passion and dedicated work. 

I do not view this recognition merely as a personal achievement; I want to share it with my family, with all the people who work alongside us every day, and with the region of Abruzzo itself. Abruzzo constantly inspires us and has proven that it can compete at the highest level in the world of wine. At the same time, this award belongs to the vision of Gianni Masciarelli, who steadfastly believed in the extraordinary potential of Abruzzo wines from the very beginning.

YOU HAVE BEEN TIED TO WINE SINCE CHILDHOOD?
My first experience with wine goes back to my earliest memories. My roots go back to the Buljubašić family from the area around Imotski, where my grandfather made barrels and wine. I remember my grandmother entrusting me with the keys to the cellar, a place I called the door to paradise. I loved spending time with my grandfather down in the cellar among the barrels he crafted himself, as well as outside among the rows of vines during the harvest. 

For me, Dalmatia represents that Mediterranean connection to the land and to the culture of togetherness around the table, roots I have carried with me wherever I go. The real turning point, however, occurred the moment I met Gianni Masciarelli.

ALL WINE EXPERTS AGREE THAT MASCIARELLI CHANGED THE IMAGE OF ABRUZZO WINES?
That is correct. As a winemaker, Gianni brought a true revolution to Abruzzo, which at the time was known almost exclusively for mass production and cheap table wines. He introduced radical changes: he drastically reduced yields per vine, implemented strict grape selection, and introduced French oak barrels (barriques) for aging. 

He demonstrated that native varieties like Montepulciano and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo could produce structured, complex, and age-worthy wines. Those changes were so radical that at one point he got into an argument with his own grandfather, who couldn't understand why Gianni was cutting off and discarding healthy fruit, drastically reducing the yield in the vineyard instead of aiming for maximum quantity as had been traditionally done in the region for generations. We endured those criticisms, and then the accolades began to follow. 

Our masterpiece, Villa Gemma Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Riserva, became a cult wine and, in 2000, was the first wine from the Abruzzo region to be named Italy's best wine by Gambero Rosso, alongside a streak of 14 consecutive Tre Bicchieri awards, a feat unmatched by any other Italian wine. With that, he proved that Montepulciano belongs at the very top of Italian reds, right alongside Barolo and Brunello di Montalcino.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE LIVING AND WORKING WITH GIANNI?
I had a great privilege in life: to be with a man who was one of my heroes. Gianni Masciarelli was brave, determined, ambitious, and a dreamer in the best sense of the word. In the middle of the night, he would wake up with a new idea that he needed to put on paper right that moment, like composers coming up with new symphonic movements or painters who feel compelled to transfer an idea to canvas immediately. He possessed an immense amount of energy and vision. We're only beginning to understand some of his moves with 10 or 20 years of hindsight. 

When we met, we became kindred spirits, people who understood each other without words and pushed one another further. I was the rational side of that equation. I was guided by Seneca's quote: 'If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable.' I am organized and disciplined; I like having clearly defined plans and goals. On the other hand, Gianni was imaginative and creative. We were like yin and yang, two opposites that rarely join together in such a way, especially when it comes to a man and a woman who are not only life partners, but business partners as well.

YOU ARE SUPPORTED BY YOUR DAUGHTER MIRIAM LEE IN RUNNING THE COMPANY. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR YOU TO PASS ON YOUR EXPERIENCE AND VALUES, WHILE ALSO GIVING HER THE SPACE TO SHAPE HER OWN LEADERSHIP STYLE?
For me, generational transition is not simply about the relationship between parents and children, but rather the meeting of two distinct corporate cultures. It is essential to safeguard what we have built over the years while remaining open to new ideas and fresh perspectives. I thrive on the energy and enthusiasm of young people, especially their willingness to challenge established ways of doing things and put forward innovative solutions. Their ideas inspire me, but the key is knowing how to develop, guide, and translate those ideas into concrete results.

To truly empower young people to take on responsibility, we must provide them with knowledge, experience, and genuine mentorship. I want them to build confidence in their own capabilities, not just filling a role, but truly understanding its purpose and bringing added value through their work.

Maintaining a clear boundary between business and personal relationships is especially crucial when family members work together. The moment my daughter steps into the office, family ties are left at the door. There, I am Marina, and she is Miriam Lee. We are not mother and daughter, just as I was never a wife to my husband when we were in the office. Everyone has their distinct role, responsibilities, and professional domain that must be respected.

It is equally important that everyone in our team absorbs the core values upon which our company was built. I often say that every employee should carry a bit of Marina and a bit of Gianni within them. I do not expect them to imitate us, but rather to embrace our work ethic, our dedication to quality, and the realization that great results are built through discipline, hard work, and consistency. They need to understand why we do what we do, rather than simply following orders. It is up to leadership to communicate that vision clearly. Only then can a team operate as one and uphold the highest standards, regardless of who is at the helm.

THIS YEAR YOU ARE CELEBRATING 35 YEARS OF THE MARINA CVETIĆ LINE, WHICH WAS NAMED AFTER YOU.
We will have a major celebration and a world tour ranging from Miami to Dubai, with my daughter Miriam Lee overseeing the organization. Gianni created the Marina Cvetić line out of respect and love for me, and I have personally taken care of it for 25 years. In every bottle, I seek a way to leave my own imprint, something distinctly mine. I want these wines to have character and to be remembered as an experience, not just a drink.

BESIDES YOUR OWN WINE LINE, YOU ALSO RECEIVED A CASTLE AS A GIFT AT ONE POINT.
Yes (laughs). As a young married couple traveling past castles, Gianni used to say: 'You will get this one as a gift.' I would playfully pretend to be picky and say: 'I don't like this one, it's too cold.' Then he would show me another, and I'd reply: 'I don't want that one either, it surely comes with ghosts.' Those were our little inside jokes, our version of romance. 

One day, Gianni arrived home with a signed contract in hand and told me: 'You got a castle as a gift.' At that moment, I admit I got angry because I saw what poor condition it was in and how much money and time we would have to invest to bring it back to life. In the end, I took on the restoration work anyway, and today that castle is Castello di Semivicoli, our wine resort that we are extremely proud of.

WHAT IS YOUR FORMULA FOR SUCCESS?
For me, wine has always been a mirror of life, a search for balance. A good terroir is the starting point, but it guarantees nothing without the knowledge that goes with it. You have to understand that not every grape variety thrives on every piece of land; you must know the history of that soil, what grew there two thousand years ago, consult old records, and have the right agronomist by your side. But above all, you must carry that terroir within yourself, because only then does it speak through the wine. 

Nature demands that you listen to it, not overpower it. Anyone who treats it harshly sooner or later ends up with a poor harvest. Today, everyone talks about environmental sustainability. But nobody talks about the sustainability of growth. We cannot just keep growing and growing, producing and producing. That is the quest for balance and harmony I was talking about.