REJUVENATING THE STORY OF WINE: WITH FRESCHELLO, CIELO E TERRA LAUNCHES THE “ZERO FUSS” REVOLUTION FOR THE GENZE

Faced with a profound epochal change in consumption and a Generation Z that demands disintermediation, authenticity and light-heartedness, the entire wine sector today finds itself at an unavoidable crossroads: continue to speak to a narrow niche of initiates or rediscover its original vocation as a facilitator of meetings and pop conviviality .

The 2025/2026 campaign for Freschello , the historic brand of the Vicenza-based Cielo e Terra SpA group, is part of this transformative landscape. With the release of the song and video "Stai Freschello!" , the Veneto-based company is not simply offering a seasonal ad, but is sparking a strategic debate on the future of winemaking in our country.

The intuition to transform a product slogan into a viral phenomenon has its roots in the company's human history: "The motto 'Stai Freschello' was born on a T-shirt, a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the retirement of our Sales Director Mario Magnabosco, who built the brand in Italy for over thirty years alongside my father," says Pierpaolo Cielo , Vice President and Commercial Director of Cielo e Terra SpA. "Music is the most effective means of communication across generations, and today, thanks also to the help of artificial intelligence, it is possible to create visually striking music videos that convey immediacy and joy."

The music video adopts a deliberately ironic and irreverent aesthetic: bucket hats, flip-flops, inflatable thrones, and the presence of the captivating "Nonna DJ" at the decks. A TikTok-style visual and narrative style that reflects a solid corporate vision.

EMPATHY: THE "FOURTH E" OF CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY

How can the irony of digital culture be reconciled with the profile of a historic B Corp-certified winery? For Pierpaolo Cielo, the answer lies in the relational value of language: " Irony has always been the most direct tool for hitting the mark and establishing an authentic connection," explains the Vice President. "I've always believed that alongside the three classic 'Es' of sustainability—Economy, Ecology, and Equity—there should be a fourth fundamental dimension: Empathy . Only through empathy can we truly engage with customers and consumers."

CHALLENGING TABOO: COLD RED WINE AND THE "NO-HASSLE" PHILOSOPHY

One of the most discussed parts of the campaign concerns overcoming the dogmas of traditional winemaking. In the video, the explicit invitation to place two ice cubes in the glass ( "no more shaking and the fear will go away" ) breaks a real taboo in the sommelier world, while also responding to a concrete consumer need.

“We believe that in a market saturated with often unhealthy cocktails and mixology, wine can and must reaffirm its role ,” emphasizes Pierpaolo Cielo. “To refresh and lighten the sensation of wine, especially during the summer season, an ice cube is a much better solution than drinking mulled wine or resorting to forced dealcoholization processes. Nations with strong winemaking traditions have always offered it. Young consumers and the international public have far fewer preconceptions than we do and, above all, demand to experience the moment in complete freedom .”

The "zero fuss" concept directly addresses GenZ's demand for simplicity and aversion to snobbery. "Those young in age and spirit will seize this opportunity to put wine back at the center of the table, but with new rules ."

The campaign's visual narrative precisely identifies the places where contemporary youth socialize: the balcony at home, barbecues with friends, the kitchen refrigerator. A choice that reflects specific socioeconomic dynamics.

"Freschello is a wine distributed through large-scale retail channels and is therefore intended for home consumption," Cielo specifies. "Today, young people, with reduced spending power due in part to the sharp rise in prices in major university cities, are increasingly finding themselves in apartments to celebrate and socialize in the real world."

To ensure continuity between the narrative on social media and the physical experience on the shelf, the packaging was also designed for maximum usability, practical solutions that could represent viable avenues for the entire wine sector:

• Immediate and comprehensible choice : elimination of the complexities linked to vintages, varieties or micro-territories that risk disorienting the inexperienced consumer.
• Functional design : differentiated color palettes, freshness-preserving screw cap and the integration of a QR code on the front of the label for a direct and digital contact channel with the company.
• Low and natural alcohol content : development of low-alcohol products, such as the 8.5% ABV sparkling wine (the minimum alcohol content achievable naturally without resorting to forced dealcoholization techniques) and the sparkling wine line designed for those who want to celebrate without changing brands.

A BRIDGE BETWEEN GENERATIONS FOR THE GROWTH OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN

Alongside the virtual testimonial Fresh Kello , the presence in the music video for “Nonna Freschella” highlights how the simplification of language is not an operation of exclusion, but a factor of intergenerational aggregation.

"More and more older people are tech-savvy and have a strong presence on social media, both as actors and as audiences," highlights Pierpaolo Cielo. "What's better than a brand that can connect and excite twenty-somethings and grandparents alike?"

The case study developed by Cielo e Terra thus offers industry professionals a highly timely reflection: to protect and promote wine consumption among the new generations , it's not necessary to distort the product, but to free it from elitism and restore its authentic nature as a facilitator of relationships, accessible and close to real everyday life.