Celestino Gaspari

The Climb

In Veneto, long apprenticeship often matters more than a clean beginning. Celestino Gaspari’s route reflects that: manager at a large commercial livestock operation near Verona, then partner and winemaker at Giuseppe Quintarelli (1987–1997), then consultant to a new wave of producers in the Veneto (1997–1999). Each step places him inside a different part of the trade, from land and stock to one of the region’s most closely watched cellars to a role advising producers as the area changed around them. The result is not a straight ladder so much as a working education in the region’s material realities. Since 1999, that accumulation has been carried into Zýmē, where he is founder and winemaker.

Today

Zýmē in San Pietro in Cariano is the current expression of that discipline, and Celestino Gaspari’s name is attached to it as founder and winemaker. His own words make the position clear: "I don't want to repeat the same things others do." In trade terms, that means a preference for distinction over routine, and for wines that do not flatten themselves into a standard regional script. The estate reads as an extension of that stance, built around a winemaker who resists repetition as a method.

Signature

The signature names associated with Celestino Gaspari are Harlequin, Kairós, Amarone, Oseleta, and Reverie. Taken together, they point to a style that is deliberate rather than generic, with each wine carrying a different register while staying close to the vocabulary of Veneto. Harlequin and Kairós suggest a willingness to work with contrast and timing; Amarone and Oseleta sit within the region’s established frame; Reverie brings a softer note into the set. These are the names most closely tied to his work, and they show a maker interested in expression without abandoning place.

In Their Words “I am not a normal man. I don't like to live easy.” “I am a protagonist to myself.” Those lines are direct, and they leave little room for interpretation. They describe a working temperament that does not seek comfort or anonymity, and they place Celestino Gaspari in his own frame rather than anyone else’s.

Recognition

The line "At the age of 20, I met the man who was to change my life" points to an apprenticeship mentality: a moment when the trade becomes personal and permanent. Read alongside "I am not a normal man. I don't like to live easy" and "I am a protagonist to myself," it gives a clear outline of Celestino Gaspari’s self-understanding. He presents as a winemaker shaped by resolve, not ease, and by a refusal to sit quietly inside inherited expectations.