Italian wine and Chinese tea share ancient wisdom

"I believe women bring a form of attentiveness, a capacity to observe details, to sense subtle shifts and to approach the work with patience and depth."

In November, she shared her wines and her story at the one-Michelin-starred Il Ristorante — Niko Romito at Bulgari Hotel Beijing, where Chef Niko Romito paired her wines with his signature dishes for an audience of Chinese wine lovers.

"Winemaking requires listening to the vines, the seasons, the market and the people who work with you. Women tend to cultivate this type of sensitivity, which is not softness, but precision," she says.

For the next generation of female winemakers, her guidance is simple: stay close to the vineyard. "Be patient, resist external pressures, and make choices that remain coherent with the identity of your land. If you understand that wine is a medium through which we can express culture — agricultural, human, ethical — then your work will find its direction."

Pantaleoni sees a shared sensibility between Italy's wine traditions and China's long agricultural heritage. "My Italian terroir is my compass; it teaches me to listen to the land, not command it. This mirrors the profound Chinese respect for natural order and balance. We both guide nature with a patient hand, whether crafting wine or tea, understanding that true quality cannot be rushed."

Her wines, she says, are meant to speak honestly of their origins; something she hopes resonates with Chinese drinkers. "If guests in China can taste that honesty, if they can sense the landscape behind the glass — the agricultural work, the seasons, the long patience of the wine's aging in the cellar — then the wine has fulfilled its purpose."