Dr. Donato Lanati is Badagoni’s chief enologist. In 2014 the influential American magazine “Wine Enthusiast” have listed Dr. Lanati among the top five enologists of the world. And the next year he was awarded with the highest international award of winemaking – “Oscar del Vino.”
Dr. Donato Lanati leads the worldwide famous international research center "Enosis Meraviglia" (Italy) and is also the honored consul of Republic of San Marino in Georgia.
Donato Lanati’s success story as an enologist and scientist is based on his unique approach to researches and on his innovative and extraordinary decisions.
Analyzing grape using the modern scientific methods, testing the advanced technologies, constant stride for perfection and a huge passion for wine - these are those main reasons that brought Dr. Lanati first in winemaking and later in Georgia. Constant researches and experiments that he implements at the “Enosis”, are dedicated to the only goal: raise the quality of wine through application of the advanced scientific methods.
Gaining knowledge and sharing it with others was always playing a significant role in Donato Lanati’s life. After graduating from the department of agricultural sciences at the University of Turin he became a member of that very same faculty, where he was teaching graduate and post-graduate students for more than 17 years.
Today, as an expert in enology, he is a valued member of OIV (International Organization of Vine and Wine). He works intensively as a wine consultant not only in Italy but also abroad. Recent projects have taken him to Georgia, Switzerland, Romania, Kazakhstan and so on. He is firmly convinced that without giving a good training and knowledge to those who work in the vineyards and wineries, it is almost impossible to make a wine with a strong sense of identity. It is by their hands, after all, that the wines are produced. He considers human skills merged with the scientific knowledge as a winning formula, ensuring wine responses not only to the expectations of the times, but also the tastes and demands of wine lovers and consumers.
For Dr. Lanati wine is nearly the same as for the most of Georgians - the product of a rural agrarian culture defined and refined over the centuries. A burning desire to unlock the secrets of grape is the main driver and motivation of his arrival to Georgia and joining Badagoni.
“I am here not to make a revolution, I am here to study, defend and preserve each vine variety and thus contribute to the work made by Georgian civilization. My sincere thanks to Georgia for teaching me a lot, hopefully my knowledge and experience will serve positively to the centuries long Georgian winemaking. I consider myself as a true member of Badagoni family.”
A huge number of research projects and inventions are made at "Enosis Meraviglia" research center with the leadership and supervision of Dr. Donato Lanati. Very few of them are listed below:
Genesis is a so called smart reservoir for wine fermentation. It solves enologist’s main concern: finding the best suitable method of winemaking and vinification for particular sorts of grape. Key element in the process of winemaking is the grape itself, with its components, aromas and characteristics. That is the essential idea of Enosis’s philosophy.
In order to create distinguished wines in accordance with grape varieties and territorial conditions, Genesis uses most advanced technologies for wine maceration, temperature control and other aspects of winemaking.