The Initial Question

When Cantine La-Vis approached us, the brief was modest yet focused.
How could a new line of wines stand out in a crowded market, with limited budget, without shouting louder than everyone else, while integrating local art?

The answer wasn’t in excess.
It was in meaning.

The idea was to bridge the gap between wine and art, using visual language not as decoration, but as interpretation. The process started around the use of Segantini’s famous paintings depicting the mountains, but these were old, already seen and at a high request (meaning high budget). This lead to a long selection process screening 100’s of artists in the trento region, contacting a local museum and finally selecting an emerging young artist with a very powerful message, The nature within. By collaborating with artist Margherita Paoletti, who lives and works among the Trentino landscape and the Dolomites, the project aimed to translate territory, nature, and sensitivity into a tangible form: six wines, six portraits.

The line was named Ritratti and from the start, the intention was clear: each bottle would be a portrait, each sip an encounter.

When the Project Leaves the Wine World

What happened next went far beyond our initial goals.

Following its launch at Vinitaly, Ritratti quickly moved outside the traditional wine circuit and into cultural, artistic, and social contexts. The wines became part of exhibitions, vernissages, and charity events, not as sponsorship objects, but as integral contributors to the narrative.

Among the initiatives that featured Ritratti:

• “Il Diavolo Veste Olivia”, a vernissage in Milan hosted by Moiré Gallery, where the wines accompanied an artistic dialogue between fashion, irony, and visual expression.
• A charity dinner in Rome on November 25th, held in support of Telefono Rosa for the International Day Against Violence on Women.
  Here, Ritratti became a medium for storytelling, connecting respect for the vineyard with respect for people, care in agriculture with care in everyday life.

In these contexts, the wine was no longer just a product.
It became a conversation piece, a symbol, a cultural bridge.

Beyond the Brief. Market Impact.

One of the most meaningful outcomes came directly from the client.

Cantine La-Vis reflected that the success of Ritratti set a new internal benchmark, so much so that it highlighted the need to elevate the rest of their portfolio to the same level of narrative and visual coherence for this years Vinitaly.

This wasn’t an original goal.
But it’s often the clearest sign of success: when a focused, well-directed project raises expectations across an entire brand.

With clear communication, a strong point of view, and consistency, even a small, low-budget initiative can reshape perception, not only externally, but internally as well.

Takeaways for Future Projects

This project reinforced a few key truths for us:

• A new product doesn’t need to be louder. It needs to be clearer.
• When design, storytelling, and direction align, a product can travel far beyond its intended market.
• Cultural relevance creates longevity. It allows a brand to participate in conversations, not just transactions.

Ritratti reminded us that when you start with respect, for place, for people, for purpose, the results often exceed the brief.

And those are the projects that continue to inform how we approach every new and ongoing collaboration.