On near-vertical terraces above the Mediterranean, where no machine can reach and every grape must be carried by hand or monorail, Heydi Bonanini tends some of the most dramatic vineyards in Italy. His small estate, Azienda Agricola Possa, is rooted in Riomaggiore--the southernmost village of Cinque Terre--and his wines are as vivid and precarious as the landscape that shapes them.
Backstory
Born and raised in Riomaggiore, Heydi began working the vines as a teenager. For years he sold his grapes to the local cooperative, as generations before him had done. In 2004, sensing that Cinque Terre's vine-covered cliffs were slowly being abandoned, he chose a different path: bottling under his own label and dedicating himself to the revival of varieties and techniques that had nearly vanished. Since then, Possa has become a reference point for anyone seeking to understand what this coast can truly produce.
The Region
Cinque Terre occupies a narrow strip of Ligurian coastline where the Apennines plunge directly into the sea. The vineyards cling to sandstone and volcanic terraces at elevations of roughly 120 meters, swept by salt winds and baked by reflected Mediterranean light. The appellation is officially classified as a zone of heroic viticulture, a designation reserved for slopes so steep that mechanization is impossible and the human cost of farming remains extraordinarily high.
Vineyards and Farming
Heydi farms around 1.4 hectares distributed across multiple parcels near Riomaggiore. Vines average 40 to 55 years old and are cultivated without synthetic inputs, relying on animal manures, composted grass, and minimal copper and sulfur treatments where needed. More than ten grape varieties are interplanted alongside 60-plus species of herbs and vegetables, creating an environment rich in biodiversity. Bees are kept on the slopes, and lemon trees supply fruit for limoncello and jam produced at the estate.
Winemaking
Fermentations are spontaneous, driven by native yeasts. Heydi uses a combination of stainless steel tanks, ceramic eggs, and barrels crafted from acacia, chestnut, and cherry wood--the same traditional Ligurian woods his predecessors used. Wines are bottled unfiltered and unfined. The flagship Sciacchetra, a passito made from dried indigenous grapes, is one of the most labor-intensive wines in Italy: grapes are hand-destemmed, dried for months, then slowly fermented and aged to produce a wine of extraordinary concentration and history.
The Wines
The Cinque Terre Bianco, an orange wine of unusual depth, blends Bosco, Albarola, and Rossese Bianco. The Er Giancu white offers a more direct expression of the terroir. Principe Jacopo is a pet-nat of rare energy. U Neigru showcases red varieties including Canaiolo Nero and Bonamico. And the Sciacchetra remains the crown jewel--awarded best sweet wine of Italy at Vinitaly--a testament to what heroic farming and ancestral knowledge can achieve.
