Every year, from September to October, the cellars at Nizza Monferrato fill with Barbera and Nebbiolo, the harvest rhythm that has shaped Piedmont for more than a century. What has changed is the climate that now unsettles that rhythm, and the independent growers least able to absorb the shock. Evgeny Strzhalkovskiy, owner of Scarpa, the 1900-founded house at the centre of the harvest, has spent the past year backing precisely those growers through ERA Winegrape Tradition, the charitable association he founded in Monaco in 2025.
Who is Evgeny Strzhalkovskiy?
Evgeny Strzhalkovskiy is a Monaco-based entrepreneur and philanthropist. He acquired Scarpa in 2017 and has built a wider portfolio of wine, spirits and hospitality businesses across Piedmont, Monaco and New Zealand. In 2021 he founded Maison Eugène René, the French company that develops his wine and spirit brands. In 2025 he established ERA Winegrape Tradition.
“After two decades in investment, wine was the chance to devote myself to something I truly loved,” Strzhalkovskiy says. “Scarpa already had more than a century of heritage. My job was to look after it, not to reinvent it.”
What is ERA Winegrape Tradition?
ERA Winegrape Tradition is a Monaco-based charitable association founded by Strzhalkovskiy in November 2025. Its purpose is to help small, independent winegrowers adopt climate-resilient practices by bringing scientists, cooperatives and financial partners together. Work began in France and Italy, where traditional winegrowing faces some of the sharpest climate pressure. The association marks its first anniversary in November 2026.
“I have seen the pressures independent growers face, from climate disruption to the cost of the changes they need to make,” Strzhalkovskiy says. “ERA brings the science, the cooperatives and the funding together to support the independents in the field.”
What does Evgeny Strzhalkovskiy own?
Scarpa sits at the centre of the portfolio, alongside its hospitality arms Scarpa Villas and Scarpa Experiences. Beyond Piedmont, Monte Carlo Vermouth (launched 2021 under licence from State Brands of Monaco) has taken gold at the London Spirits Competition, the IWSC and the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. Trinity Monaco operates an Irish bar and a seaside cocktail room on Rue du Portier. In New Zealand, Fincher & Co. earned 95 points from Decanter for its 2021 Awatere Valley Sauvignon Blanc. Monte Carlo Vermouth and Fincher sit under Maison Eugène René.
How has Scarpa grown under his ownership?
Under Strzhalkovskiy, Scarpa’s revenue has risen from €800,000 in 2016 to a projected €4 million in 2026. The method has remained unchanged: selected-yeast fermentation, long ageing in old French oak from Allier botti, late releases and strict allocation. Before wine, Strzhalkovskiy spent more than two decades in venture capital and international finance.
“We have grown Scarpa without changing how it makes wine,” Strzhalkovskiy says. “Late releases and strict allocation are not a marketing choice, they are the house’s method.”
What comes next?
ERA Winegrape Tradition reaches its first anniversary in November 2026 and will expand its work with growers in France and Italy. Scarpa is preparing its first move into Tuscany with Poggio al Fiore, a boutique Montalcino label planned to launch with two flagship releases.
“Montalcino is an important new chapter,” Strzhalkovskiy says, “and the clearest step yet in turning Scarpa into a true multi-region house.”
