Nicoletta Dicova graduated with a master’s degree in enology and wine marketing in Italy in 2010, and has been a VDP Ambassador since 2017. She has worked in wine education and has been a guest professor since 2018 at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Piedmont, Italy. She is the co-owner of a small wine project with a guesthouse in Tuscany – San Donato in Bellaria, Chianni, where she practices permaculture and organizes wine tours and tastings for local wine lovers. Master of Wine Stage 2 Student and International Wine Judge.

Heroic Viticulture – Extreme Wines, Extraordinary Terroirs
Master class

Some places make growing vines a true feat of endurance: steep slopes, terraced mountain landscapes, and rugged, inhospitable terrain where mechanization is almost impossible.

This masterclass will take us into the world of heroic viticulture – where wine expresses not only the terroir, but also the sheer human determination to preserve some of the most beautiful and dramatic wine-growing landscapes on the planet.

For the first time in Bulgaria, a selection of wines from some of Italy’s most iconic heroic viticulture regions will be presented. We will explore indigenous grape varieties, vineyard practices, climate change, sustainability, regional identity, and the cultural significance of these extreme vineyards.

A journey into a world of high-altitude vineyards, steep slopes, terraces and islands: wines that tell the stories of seemingly impossible landscapes and the people who have chosen not to abandon them.