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Farewell to Walter Mastroberardino

Walter Mastroberardino passed away at the age of ninety-two in his Montefusco home, surrounded by the affection of his children Paolo and Daniela, grandchildren and all family members.

Walter Mastroberardino, founder of the Terredora Di Paolo winery, was born in 1933, the last of the sons of Michele Mastroberardino, a pioneer of Italian wine exports in the difficult decades of the early 20th century.

Upon his father’s death, a desire grew in Walter, just 12 years old, to make his own contribution to the development of the family business in that complex phase of post-World War II Italy.

Those who knew him as a young boy often remembered him on the family trucks along with the drivers, busy delivering cases of wine, with school books on his person, because one must not fall behind in one’s studies.

A young man, with his two brothers, Angelo and Antonio, he achieves what can well be called the “miracle” of the rebirth of Irpinia and Campania wine, thanks to an intelligent enhancement of its historic native grape varieties.

Enthusiasm and youth work

In the mid-1950s, he began to travel Italy from south to north, having realized before others how important it was to focus commercially on large cities such as Milan and Rome. Busy between fairs and tastings, as well as doing promotion in restaurants and wine shops, he got to know and become friends with many producers, of that generation to which the success of Italian wine is due.

Also from that period are his Milanese frequentations at Angelo Pozzi’s Savini restaurant. At those very tables, the idea was born that led to the founding of the Italian Sommelier Association and of which he later became an honorary member.

The 1970s were the years of investment in the vineyard, a decision made together with his brothers Antonio and Angelo. And they were years of increasing commercial success and new investments in the most vocated areas of Greco di Tufo, Fiano di Avellino and Taurasi.

The birth of Terredora by Paolo

In 1994, having turned sixty, a beautiful new chapter opened for Walter Mastroberardino, both professionally and as a family. Together with his children Paolo, Lucio and Daniela and his wife Dora Di Paolo, to whom he wanted to dedicate the name of the new winery, Terredora Di Paolo was born, a project hinging on the centrality of the vineyard.

To the initial ten hectares of Walter and Dora’s country estate, a hundred more hectares were added in 1998, until today’s total of 180 hectares was reached. Over the years, thanks to a passionate and constant commitment, the wines become high-level expressions of an extremely vocated territory. Terredora Di Paolo, is present in the markets of more than thirty countries in the world and deserves every year important awards and recognitions in Italy and abroad.

Walter, in his life, has never given up his passion for wine and has been able to cherish and transmit its founding values always with enthusiasm and great passion.

He testified with facts that the real legacy, the one to be passed on to new generations, is example. And Walter was an example of a life dedicated to work and family, always reserving great respect for people and experiencing “falls” as a useful experience to get back up with greater vigor.

Funerals

Funeral services will take place tomorrow, Feb. 5, departing from the home of the deceased in Montefusco, at the Terredora winery. The funeral rite will be celebrated at 3:30 p.m. in the church of San Giovanni al Vaglio, Montefusco (Av).

Editor Daniele Cernilli and the entire editorial staff of DoctorWine join the family’s grief over the loss of the patriarch.

 

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