The Contessa Maria Cristina Rizzardi, head of the family-owned historic Italian wine producer Guerrieri Rizzardi, has been awarded the prestigious Cavaliere del Lavoro award which will be presented by the President of the Italian Republic Giorgio Napolitano on November 5.

The first woman ever to be awarded this honour, she joins a very small elite of Cavalieri members who have been recognised specifically for their contribution to the Italian wine world, including Piero Antinori, Vittorio Frescobaldi, Giuseppe Gioia and Diego Planeta.

The order of the Cavalieri was first created by King Vittorio Emanuele III in 1901. It is Italy’s highest honour and is bestowed personally by the Italian President to 25 people each year in recognition of their services to Italian agriculture, commerce or industry.

Contessa Maria Cristina Rizzardi comments, “This is truly a great honour for me, for my family and for our estates. We have been producing wine in the Veneto region since 1450 and I consider it both my duty and my pleasure to be an ambassador for the wines from this exceptional region.”

The Guerrieri Rizzardi range of wines are imported, marketed and distributed by Farsons Beverage Imports Company Limited, a member of The Farsons Group.