Slow Wine mourns the loss of one its most beloved figures this week.

Paolo Camozzi, 39 years old, passed away unexpectedly last week from a sudden illness. He was the guide’s deputy editor and its leading expert on the wines of Oltrepò Pavese. He was also a professor at the Slow Food University of Gastronomic Sciences, where he had previously completed his own studies.

“We called him the ‘Big Soul,'” said Slow Wine Guide editor-in-chief Giancarlo Gariglio in an interview with Gambero Rosso — a reference to his two meters in height and his warm personality. “The nickname was inspired by his work in the field. These two words reflect how much we admired him and what a great friend he was.”

He also served as a project manager at the Adolescere foundation, a youth outreach association in Voghera.

He is survived by his partner Annalisa Sivieri and their three children.

“Tonight I’ll drink a Pinot Noir in your memory,” wrote his colleague Valentina Vercelli, another top editor for the Slow Wine Guide.

Sit tibi terra levis Paule.

(Image via the Slow Wine Facebook.)