ANTON F. BOERNER - FOUNDER OF ÔMINA ROMANA AND WINNER OF A BET

by Maria Carla Magni

Anton F. Boerner, a German entrepreneur of Bavarian origin, has had Italy in his heart from the age of 5, when he used to spend here his summer holidays. His passion for Italy turned into an endless love for archaeology, history, philosophy, art and culture that led him to set up a company that could gather all his knowledge and make a dream come true: establishing Ômina Romana, a winery with vineyards in an area still not very well known. His family, especially his Italian wife Anna Maria, the other self in business choices, has been supporting him in creating the company.
Today, the winery is managed by his daughter Katharina, CEO, and by a team of trusted and valuable staff.

- Since the foundation of the Ômina Romana project in 2007, can you finally say to have won a bet that seemed very ambitious at the time?
To tell the truth,  I am still told that "we are on a good track". We are not present yet in all the foreign markets we plan to open, but I must admit that a lot has been done since then, but as much still remains  to be done.

- What have been the main challenges and the best achievements in these 16 years?
At the beginning, the main challenge was training the staff.
To set up the company we had in mind, having trained staff was a priority and it was a strong commitment we undertook.
Key for this was the work of our agronomist, Dr. Paula Pacheco, who managed to deploy all the scientific know-how, developed in close collaboration with the University of Florence, realising what seemed difficult at the beginning.
Today, I can say I am proud of our team that is able to work with advance techniques to create a finished product that is a perfect combination of manual skills and science.
Satisfaction is further rewarded by the quality of our wines that is comparable to that of the great international labels, which is constantly confirmed in various "blind tastings".
This satisfaction is not just my own, but it is shared with our staff from the vineyard to the distribution department, in Italy and abroad.
We feel like a large family and the commitment is the key to success, without hierarchies.

-  Ômina Romana is a family business, your daughter Katharina is the CEO and she relies on the collaboration of expert professionals, what is your role in the company today?
 I am dealing with the promotion of the brand in Italy and Europe with the aim of sharing our history and the passion for what we produce.
People get curious because they would like to know the "spiritus rector" , the guiding spirit, of those who are behind the product, and they understand how much rigorous work and commitment exist in a label like Ômina Romana.
I am thrilled when during our master classes, tastings and events people are interested in our history and culture as the key background of our wine.
In this operation of making our product known to the various customers, my daughter Katharina and I are working in different market areas: I deal with Italy and Europe, whereas she deals with Asia and United States.

- You have always been aficionado of Italian art, history and culture: how have you managed to combine this passion with that for wine, and what is the added value in ÔminaRomana's concept?
My passions for art and history are perfectly featured in the concept of Ômina Romana because it is the acknowledgement of Etruscan-Roman wine.
Through my studies, I found out that Etruscans started growing vines and producing wine locally, then the Romans continued planting in this area, near Velletri, the most prestigious vines of the Roman times, which were then carried to all the lands conquered by the Empire.
Our project is indeed that of giving a rebirth to the great wine of ancient times and make it known worldwide.
We work on wine that has its roots in ancient history, and that today relies on new technological tools and the most innovative scientific research.
We create this bond also through the names of our labels that come from the classical Greek and Roman worlds.
Also the philosophy of the early Christian centuries plays a key role, which we express through the concepts of "mens et manus" and "ora et labora." To us all this has a strong bond with the manual work of growing the vines and making the wine in our winery, in this land.

- Has the wine making sector changed locally during your journey?  If so, how?
I consider the Ômina Romana project for our area of origin as a whitefly: we all follow our own journeys. 
We decided to follow the one that we feel is our best expression.

- What are the prospects for the future and the next steps you would like the company to take?
Our goals are always the same: meticulous work  and making our brand known on new markets.
Obviously, continuing to work on our product quality together with our "staff family."
In perspective, there is certainly the desire to double the production capacity of the winery and to reach maximum potential with the land available.

- Is there any specific wine you would like to bet on for 2023?
Yes! We started with a test last year producing a Rosé from pure Merlot . It was so well-liked that it sold out in a few months.
With the new harvest, we increased the production capacity of this wine that we are going to present both at Vinitaly and at Prowein.
So it is going to be a big bet and a new product for us to launch, but a very interesting one for its characteristics: freshness and amazing aromas of grapefruit, cedar and citrus. Ideal for the coming summer.
 I would like to invite all to taste it and I hope I will meet a lot of Ômina Romana enthusiasts, both visiting our winery, and at our master classes in different parts of Italy and Europe.