Surprise will, leaves the company to the employees. “We thought he was joking”, Piero Pittaro’s gesture –

In his will he donated his winery to the nine employees: the historic winemaker and lifelong right-hand man, the agricultural expert, the accountant, the sales assistant, the cellar and vineyard men. The story of Piero Pittaro, a Friulian entrepreneur who passed away at the age of 89 on 24 March, is reported by local newspapers. The employees, reported the Tribuna di Treviso and the Mattino di Padova, accepted the unexpected inheritance. «They will quickly establish a new company with all the trappings of the law, which will be led by a managing director, while each ‘heir’ will have his own specific roles within – underline the local newspapers – The watchword is: continuity and valorisation of the brand, which remains Friulian and is not sold to the highest bidder”.

«When we did some checks in the vineyards or tests in the cellar he told us, every now and then in the Friulian language, ‘Us lassi dut a vualtris’ (‘I’ll leave everything to you), but frankly we thought Piero was joking – says Stefano Trinco today, the winemaker of the group who is also president of Doc Friuli – There was a good relationship between us, made of esteem and respect, but we would never have thought of such a gesture of great generosity. On our part there is great emotion, as well as a dutiful thank you. And there is certainly the commitment and awareness of personally carrying the company forward. It is an honor and a great responsibility. A precious gift that must be valued to the maximum, we will do everything to carry forward his name as it deserves.”