February 20, 2026 — To find oneself atop a historic tower, with rolling hills stretching to the horizon, rows of vines tracing the landscape and an atmosphere that carries the memory of centuries of winemaking. And then to discover that this same experience can be relived elsewhere, thanks to a virtual journey to be explored with dedicated headsets.
This is La Genisia: a young winery, yet already mature in its vision, that is rewriting the narrative of the Oltrepò Pavese through science, cooperation and immersive technology.
Founded in 2020 from a project of the Torrevilla Group, La Genisia represents the contemporary face of the Oltrepò Pavese, a territory that holds the national record for the extent of Pinot Noir vineyards and is, in terms of size, the fourth largest European area dedicated to this grape after Champagne, Burgundy and Baden. A place still little known to the wider international public, but destined to become a new reference point for Italian Pinot Noir.
From its very name, which evokes the concept of genesis, La Genisia speaks of a return to the origins of wine. A profound understanding of terroir capable of translating itself into the bottle with elegance and personality. Not merely a production project, but a laboratory of territory and identity.
The La Genisia project: an innovative cooperative model with deep roots
La Genisia is a cooperative made up of twenty experienced winegrowers, who cultivate 70 hectares of vineyards in the Oltrepò Pavese across Codevilla, Torrazza Coste, Mornico Losana, Valle del Coppa and Valle Schizzola, for an annual production of around 200,000 bottles.
A rare model in the Italian high-quality wine landscape, where structured collaboration and the sharing of know-how coexist with centralised agronomic management that ensures production consistency, traceability and sustainability.
Under the leadership of President Matteo Ghiara and winemaker Simone Fiori, in 2024 the winery made a bold and pioneering decision, becoming the first cooperative cellar in the Oltrepò to directly select harvesting teams and centrally coordinate the harvest, in order to guarantee uniform timing, criteria and quality.
The territory and zoning: an ideal terroir interpreted with scientific rigour
The Oltrepò Pavese is a crossroads between Piedmont, Liguria and Emilia: hills between 250 and 450 metres above sea level, marly and gypsum-rich soils and strong diurnal temperature variations. A natural environment capable of producing elegant, complex and long-lived Pinot Noir, both in Metodo Classico and still red versions.
As winemaker Simone Fiori emphasises, “Pinot Noir is our stylistic compass. It is a grape variety that interprets the territory with great sensitivity and allows us to build a contemporary and recognisable winemaking language.”
At the heart of La Genisia’s oenological project lies an ambitious zoning study, developed in collaboration with the University of Milan. A multi-year investigation that analysed 600 hectares of vineyards in terms of soils, microclimates, exposures and altitudes.
The result is a true “identity profile” of the territory: an operational handbook in constant evolution that guides growers towards ever more precise agronomic choices.
Thanks to this study, La Genisia has been able to select the most suitable vineyards and build a coherent project from vine to bottle.
The wines: elegance, finesse and territorial identity
La Genisia’s winemaking project revolves around Pinot Noir, interpreted both in Metodo Classico DOCG versions (Brut, Extra Brut and Rosé) and as a still red DOC Oltrepò Pavese.
The Metodo Classico sparkling wines are distinguished by their fine, persistent perlage and a vertical, elegant profile. The Centodieci line represents the highest expression of the project: a Metodo Classico Brut Nature aged 36 months on the lees and a DOC Pinot Noir red of great finesse and structure, matured in French barriques.
La Genisia, gateway to the future: an innovative model of storytelling for the territory
The symbol of the winery is the Torre Vinaria, depicted in the logo and the beating heart of the visitor experience.
Here, past and innovation are in dialogue: as guests ascend the tower, they can discover the sparkling wine process and immerse themselves in the VR Wine La Genisia project, a platform hosting a virtual journey that, through dedicated headsets, allows visitors to walk among the vines and intuitively understand the terroir; an experience available directly at the winery and accessible from anywhere in the world.
Virtual reality does not replace the real experience, but amplifies it. It makes visible what is usually hidden: the relationship between soil, climate and wine.
“The discovery of the morphological and environmental characteristics that determine the unique qualities of a wine is not always immediate; virtual reality allows us to visit symbolic sites and understand the production philosophy of our winery,” explains Simone Fiori.
Next to the Torre Vinaria stands the La Genisia hospitality building, with a tasting room and panoramic terrace. Here, tastings are accompanied by guided tours of the historic cellar.
The winery also serves as a gateway to the GreenWay and offers slow tourism experiences: e-bikes, vineyard trekking, horseback riding and family activities, all in harmony with nature. A way of experiencing wine as a cultural, sensory and landscape-based journey.
About La Genisia
La Genisia is a young and determined social reality that now involves twenty experienced winemakers, totaling 70 hectares of vineyards in the municipalities of Codevilla (PV) and its surroundings. Lombard hills provide the backdrop to this project, united by a precise philosophy aimed at fostering constant dialogue between the winery and winemakers to achieve excellence in quality standards. A growing journey that entails a full understanding of the territory and the work of interpreting terroir. Recognizable wines, characterized by a fine and persistent perlage that elegantly interprets Pinot Noir grapes, the flagship of the vines cultivated and processed by the winemakers collaborating with this winery.
