He’s a big part of the Lini winery’s spirit.

Alessio “Pibe” Lini, above (his nickname is pronounced PEE-beh, like the soccer star “El Pibe,” meaning “the Kid”).

“Lawyer, runner, dreamer, lover,” reads the tagline on his Instagram, where his more than 25,000 followers await his poetic reflections on life and pragmatic advice for the soul.

A former soccer star and music industry lawyer, he’s as much social media sensation as he is lifestyle guru when he’s not on the road selling Lini wines across Italy.

He was recently profiled by the popular Italian lifestyle, arts, and finance online magazine BeBeez.

Here’s an excerpted translation of the piece:

I was born into a family that has been making wine in a village in the Reggio Emilia [province] valley for 110 years. Each September we harvest our grapes. Traffic is forced to a standstill by tractors that come and go from the wineries. They’re full of grapes plucked from the vines by teams of pickers. The folks who work the harvest come from all walks of life, people of all ages.

There’s not one kid who hasn’t spent a harvest picking grapes to scrape a few extra bucks for the winter.

Today, we receive prizes and awards from all over the world for what we do. And I’m proud of that. But this is where I’m from.

We love him, we need him, and we couldn’t live without him. He’s such a big part of what makes Lini special. Wines that transcend simple pleasure and become the joy of life and living itself.

Check out the profile (in Italian) here.

Image via Pibe’s Instagram.