Vigne Regali, the Piedmontese sparkling wine cellar owned by Banfi, has announced the retirement of its president, Giuseppina Viglerchio.

Mrs. Viglierchio said that she would join her husband, Attilio, who recently formalized his own retirement as winemaker at Vigne Regali, in devoting more time to their family and other industry causes. Mrs. Viglierchio is currently president of Le Donne del Vino (Women of Wine) and the Enoteca Regionale di Acqui Terme, and past president of the consortium for Brachetto d'Acqui.

The Viglierchios purchased the small Bruzzone winery in 1973 and six years later sold it to Banfi Vintners, the leading US Importer who had already started a wine estate in Tuscany called Castello Banfi. In addition to her role in running the newly named Vigne Regali winery, Mrs. Viglierchio became Banfi's European sales director, a post from which she has also retired. In her 22 years with the company, she gained a solid reputation as a dynamic woman leader in a traditional male-dominated sector.

"The strides that Giuseppina has made in her career broke long standing barriers in Italy," noted Cristina Mariani, family proprietor of Castello Banfi and Vigne Regali. "We now take this progress for granted, but the wine sector in Italy of the 1980s was a tough place for a woman. Giuseppina's character, tenacity and vivacity quickly made her the exception to the rule and a peer among equals. As she moves on to another phase of her life, I am proud to salute her for her pioneering work on behalf of both our winery and the women of wine."

Vigne Regali is best known for its premium sparkling wines Rosa Regale Brachetto d'Acqui and Banfi Brut Metodo Tradizionale Classico. The cellars also vinify the white wine of Banfi's nearby Principessa Gavia single vineyard estate as well as a red wine, Argusto Dolcetto d'Acqui.