Marco Tinessa, Campania

Driven by natural wine pioneers like Pierre Overnoy, former banker Marco Tinessa founded Ognstro in 2007 after transformative mentorships: ten years with Frank Cornelissen (nomadic visionary of Etna’s ‘Magma’) and one year under Mario Fontana (whose wines are equally sought after as Mascarello’s. Rejecting Taurasi’s barrique conventions, he championed pure Aglianico—vinified solely in gres amphorae and concrete to express unadulterated terroir. His philosophy embraces biodiversity across 20 hectares (6ha vines, olives, woods) and revives ancestral practices like the "Avellino raggera" training system.


In 2020, Marco returned to Campania’s volcanic heart, establishing his winery in Avellino near Irpinia’s grand cru vineyards. Ognstro now articulates the region’s essence through precision-crafted wines: Ognostro Rosso (Aglianico from Taurasi’s slopes), Ognostro Bianco (skin-macerated Fiano di Avellino from Lapio), and Rubice (Falanghina from Taburno’s limestone-clay)—all fermented and aged without oak to honor Campania’s authentic voice.