Inside One of Italy's Greatest Wine Families | Emidio Pepe & The Next Generation

Italy's Icons of Wine, Emidio Pepe sadly passed away one month ago. Two weeks before, I was fortunate to have spent the day with Chiara and the Pepe family at their estate, filming the vineyards, cellar and extraordinary philosophy her grandfather Emidio built over more than six decades. Emidio Pepe made wine like no one else. No oak. No filtration. No selected yeast. Native-yeast-only fermentation in 1960's-era glass-lined concrete tanks, and bottles from 1975, 1984 and 1997 still resting in the cellar - because Emidio held back 40–50% of every vintage for decades before release. This episode captures Chiara at a remarkable moment in her own story: carrying the Pepe legacy forward in Abruzzo while beginning her new role leading viticulture and winemaking at Domaine de La Chapelle in Hermitage. This is the fine print we never read: what it actually takes to carry a legacy. Chiara isn't reventing her grandfather's wine - she's it's custodian. And in a region described as a "land of freedom", between the Adriatic and Apennine Mountains, she's quietly adapting 125 years of tradition for the climate of tomorrow. Chapters: 00:00 The Legacy Begins 02:11 Why Abruzzo Makes Wine No One Else Can 05:01 The Pergola Explained 07:38 Combatting Change 10:54 Emidio's 'Non-Negotiables' 13:31 Inside the 60 Year Old Pergola 16:48 The Mother/Daughter Vine Rejuvenation 22:02 Pepe's Ancient Wheat & Homemade Pasta 23:48 La Chapelle Hermitage Announcement 25:15 A New Vision for La Chapelle & Changes 26:46 Two Women Leading a 500-Year Estate 28:16 Concrete, Not Oak — the Neutral Cellar 29:35 Malolactic in the Bottle 30:54 Lees & Racking — Why She Lets It Sit 33:11 Terroir & Native Yeast, No Additions 36:40 The Branella Parcel & Foot Treading 38:11 Her Grandfather's Cellar — a Living Legacy 39:56 Why Chiara Holds Wine Back for 50 Years 44:37 Courage Across Generations 48:10 Grandfather Did Not Allow Attend Enology School 48:53 Chiara's Memories with Emidio The Back Label is the fine print we never read - the stories behind every bottle, told by people who make them. Subscribe for the untold stories of the winemakers, families and traditions shaping the world of wine.    / @thebacklabelshow   New episodes dropping weekly. #wine #winemaking #biodynamicwine #italianwine #italy #abruzzo #hermitage #womeninwine #finewine #wineculture