Philosophy
Coherence, consistency and responsibility
The Winemaker’s Manifesto
It all begins with a gesture, repeated in the same way every day: brushing a leaf by hands, a sinking foot in the ground, a gaze tracing the contours of the hills. It is an ongoing face to face dialogue with Nature. I make wine. But above all, I’m feeling what I’m living. The Earth speaks in a softly undertone, yet it revealing to me when it is thirsty, when is tired, when is ready to bestow. This is Mother Earth. I owe her the same respect I owe to those who works alongside me: no fine wine comes around without help and cure of honest hands, sincere faces, and meaningful relationships. People matter just as much as the vines. Words, just as much as roots. And Family is the primary vineyard from which every act of care blossoms. Tellus Vitae is our way of cultivating the land — we all walk together towards the same path and journey, not chasing perfection, but seeking authenticity. Working as an act of care, rather than mere toil. Wine has a story to tell made by slowness, understanding, and mutual respect. A tale that does not end with the harvest,but carries on with those who choose to appreciate and sip the wine with mindful appreciation.
Our pledge with Nature
Tellus Project is the commitment that brings them together: the one of the Donna Family, whom, as long as they can remember, have been growing rice. After sharing their agricultural passion abroad, they returned home, to their Piedmont roots, to take over two universes that embodies excellence and identity: Cascina Alberta and Cascina Cà Rossa. By our side is Angelo Ferrio, a winemaker at heart and by experience, son of these hills. With him and thanks to the daily work of our entire team, we pursue an idea of honest, sustainable agriculture that is true to people. Tellus Project is our pledge: with Mother Earth, to cultivate it with balance and respect. With those who work alongside us, to offer them dignified work and real opportunities for growth. With those who choose us, to offer wines that tells tales of deep roots. We are committed to enhancing the territory, to innovate without altering ancient processes, to support those who live and work beside us. We do it with simplicity, determination, and with the same care of our ancestors.
My son remembers what his grandfather says: “Ij travaj bin fèit a düro ‘ntël temp” – “Well-done works lasts over time.” And Tellus Project wants to be just that: a well done job. That lasts. That looks forward. Always together.
Tellus, Mother Earth, represents before our eyes the deep connection with the land that nourishes the vines.
At the same time, recalls the image of a Family: roots are nurtured, sincere bonds are formed, and the values that shape wine and life are tought. In our context, a territory of exceptional food and wines, quality alongside interest in sustainability and culture is a held mindset. Our project weaves together history, territory, and social value to strengthen shared ideals, create cultural impact, and take care of the land consciously.
Where respect for the Earth meets the deep meaning of Family
Bringing together winemaking, culture, landscape, and social responsibility in one-in-all project that involves the local community, strengthening the bond between land, identity, and collective care. Tellus is a connecting force, a cultural icon, embodies the balance between humans and the Earth, care and awareness of the environment, the value of slow, cyclical, agricultural time. Family is instead a generative force among people. It’s the first place where you learn care, listen, and learn respect. It embodies the balance between roots and possibilities, between what has shaped us and what we can become. Tellus Vitae is a symbolic new way to live and tell the tale of wine.
Cultural remembrances and temporary happenings
- Exchanges between elderly winemakers and new generations.
- Workshops on agricultural memory.
- Temporary residencies for interns or artists to reinterpret Tellus through art and landscape.
Ethic Wine story telling
- Tour through the vineyards with installations, narrative QR codes about soil and wine care, Poems.
- ‘Tellus Vitae’ Ethical Bottle, produced with biodynamic techniques
Culture, events and happenings
- Events in the Villages – “Dialogues with Tellus” between philosophy, landscape, and the future of agriculture.
- Seasonal celebrations of gratitude and cycles, like the Spring or Harvest Equinox, the “Thanksgiving to the Earth”.
Environmental and Art Education
- Involving schools and art academies to work on the landscape as a common good.
- Promoting Regenerative Agriculture and Stories of “Slow” Viticulture.
