In 1991, when Elena Pantaleoni first walked into La Stoppa, a historic winery founded in the late 1800s and set among the rolling hills of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy, she felt an immediate responsibility to the land.

"My role was not to impose a new vision; the inspiration came from understanding that this place already possessed everything it needed — character, strength and a clear voice — and my task was simply to align the work with that truth," she recalls.

She dedicated herself to organic farming and eliminated synthetic chemicals, believing that respecting the life of the soil was inseparable from respecting the people connected to it.

To her, wine is culture, ethics and the expression of agricultural labor. "It is not merely a drink but a way of life, built on respect for the land, alignment with the seasons, and the preservation of farming traditions," she says.

Over the decades, Pantaleoni has also witnessed a shift in the winemaking world: women entering the field on their own terms. "Today, women are visible, respected and increasingly influential," she says.