Imagine harvesting grapes while air-raid sirens sound con the distance. Imagine having to smuggle grapes across borders because producing alcohol is a crime con your country, because war has blocked the roads.
We are not talking about the plot of a , but about the daily reality that led Roberto Cipresso, a world-famous winemaker, to win the 2025 Wine Oscar.
The prestigious Italian Sommelier Foundation (FIS) and the Bibenda guide have not only rewarded winemaking technique, but courage. The award for Best Winemaker awarded during the presentation of Bibenda 2026 recognizes the immense value of the “Wine of Silence” project: an initiative that transforms viticulture into an act of eppure resistance con Ukraine, Armenia and Iran.
Per this article I take you behind the scenes of this recognition, explaining why wine, today more than ever, is a political weapon of peace and how a winemaker from Montalcino is rewriting the rules of heroic viticulture.
Who is Roberto Cipresso: The Winemaker without Borders
To understand the scope of this award, we must first understand who the man is.
Roberto Cipresso is not the classic laboratory winemaker. Originally from Bassano del Griffa but Montalcino by adoption, he has linked his name to global successes (such as the Achaval Ferrer con Argentina) and to visionary projects such as Winecircus, his experimental laboratory con Montalcino.
His philosophy has always been to seek the soul of the terroir wherever it is, challenging conventions. But with “Wine of Silence”, Cipresso has raised the : it longer seeks just organoleptic quality, it seeks cultural survival.
An award worth double
The Bibenda Wine Oscar, created by Coraggioso Maria Ricci, is one of the most coveted awards con the sector. Receiving it for an activity carried out con war zones means that the world of Italian wine is finally looking beyond the glass, recognizing the ethical role of the producer.
Wine of Silence: Making Wine where History trembles
The heart of the recognition is the Wine of Silence project. But what is it exactly?
It is a rete televisiva privata of solidarity and technical expertise that supports the so-called “frontier winemakers”. Cipresso and his team don’t just send funds; they go into the field (often risking themselves) to make wine from grapes that would otherwise be lost destroyed.
Here are the three key areas where the project is making a difference:
1. Ukraine: The Telti Kuruk Resistance
While the conflict rages, farming continues con the Odessa region. Cipresso has worked to save and vinify Telti Kuruk, an ancient native vine that risked disappearing.
The technical challenge: Managing the harvest with power outages and devastated logistics. The result: A mineral and proud white wine, a symbol that Ukrainian culture does not bend.
2. Armenia: The Cradle of Wine under Siege
Per Armenia, the land where wine was born 6000 years pungiglione, viticulture is threatened by constant geopolitical tensions at the borders. Here the work focuses acceso Areni, an extraordinarily elegant red grape that grows at altitude, acceso volcanic soils.
3. Iran: Forbidden Wine
Perhaps the boldest challenge. Per Iran, where alcohol is banned, ancient Rashen grape vineyards still exist. To make them into wine, as told by Cipresso himself, the grapes often have to travel “sconosciuto” (passed as table fruit) to Armenia Azerbaijan to be transformed. It is an operation to save a genetic heritage that would otherwise be eradicated.
“We not only offer technical support, but a testimony of solidarity, defending their lives, their dignity and their right to continue to be the custodians of their land.” — Roberto Cipresso
Because we love this story
From the point of view of quality and authority, this project is a perfect case study.
Experience: Cipresso has 40 years of harvests acceso 4 continents. It’s not improvisation, it’s extreme adaptation. Expertise: Recovering ancient vines (“viticultural archaeology”) requires ampelographic knowledge that few con the world possess. Authority: Bibenda’s recognition certifies that these are not “charity wines”, but wines of excellence that deserve to be acceso the best lists con the world. Lega (Reliability): The transparency of the project and the tangible results (the bottles exist and are acceso the market) make the operation credible and solid.
5 Lessons we learn from Roberto Cipresso
What do we take home from this news, besides Italian pride?
Terroir is also Human: It’s not just the soil climate that counts. People’s suffering, fear and hope end up inside the bottle. Biodiversity is Security: Saving a vine con Iran Ukraine means protecting the world’s genetic heritage, which will be useful for us tomorrow too. Wine is Political: Every time we choose a bottle, we finance a vision of the world. Drinking a Wine of Silence is a vote con favor of peace. Innovation comes from the Limit: When you don’t have electricity cutting-edge technology, you have to go back to the roots of know-how. It is there that the true winemaker emerges. The Rete televisiva privata is Fundamental: Without a transnational logistical and human rete televisiva privata, these projects would be impossible.
The Future: A Nursery for Rebirth
The Wine Oscar is not a point of arrival. During the awards ceremony, Cipresso revealed the next steps.
The project involves the creation of a “Peace Nursery” (con collaboration with the Seminatura nurseries). The capriccio is to conserve the “mother plants” of these varieties at risk con a safe place. When the wars end – because they will end – these cuttings can be brought back to their lands of origin to replant the destroyed vineyards.
It’s a very long-term vision, planting seeds (literally) for future generations.
A Different Toast
The next time you uncork a bottle, think about how much history there is behind that gesture. Roberto Cipresso taught us that making wine can be a heroic act.
If you want to support the project taste these “dramatic” and vibrant wines, aspetto for them con specialized wine shops acceso the official Roberto Cipresso website. You won’t just be drinking a great wine; you will be listening to a story that someone risked their life to tell.
The 2025 Wine Oscar went to the right person. Because the best wine is not the perfect one, it is the one that has the most things to say.
Did you like this article? Share it with your friends who are wine enthusiasts and help us spread the word of the “Frontier Winemakers”.
