Thus began the season of Michele, who with his sights set beyond regional borders decided to partner with Giacomo Tachis, a skilled winemaker known for celebrated wines like the Solaia and Sassicaia. In 1994, following an in-depth study of international varieties and how to integrate them into the local territory, the collaboration resulted in the Pelago, winner of London’s International Wine Challenge. The prize for Champion Red Wine brought Umani Ronchi into the national and international spotlight. Shortly thereafter, it was ranked as one of Wine Enthusiast’s 100 top wines of 1998, with a score of 97/100.

2000 saw the opening of a new bottle cellar for aging, La Bottaia, as part of a broader initiative to renovate the Osimo winery, once again signaling the producer’s openness to innovation. Michele and his technical staff are constantly fine-tuning their wines, resulting in a range of new products and painstaking attention to existing ones. Indeed, in such a highly competitive market, both nationally and internationally, uncompromising quality and the ability to stand out are of the utmost importance. The fact that the Cùmaro 2004 won a Gold Medal from Decanter and that the Verdicchio Vecchie Vigne 2009 won Gambero Rosso’s award for White of Year testify to the unremitting work being done of late on behalf of local wines.

Today, Michele combines his wine and estate management duties with developing markets abroad. The upshot is that Umani Ronchi has developed into a true international brand and symbol of Italian excellence.

In 2015 Michele Bernetti was chosen as “Le Marche’s Wine Ambassador” for the Milan Expo. This important honor coincided with organic conversion and certification of all the vineyards. In 2020 Umani Ronchi was ranked as of one of Wine Spectator’s 34 Best Wineries of Italy. In 2023 Umani Ronchi is THE “WINERY OF THE YEAR 2024”, special award by Gambero Rosso.