The vineyards of our associates are mostly in Vinchio and Vaglio Serra with only a few in the nearby areas of Incisa Scapaccino, Cortiglione, Nizza Monferrato, Castelnuovo Belbo, Castelnuovo Calcea and Mombercelli.
This area belongs to the hilly region of Alto Monferrato and the soils are sandy and calcareous. Most of the vineyards overhang steep slopes, making their tending extremely difficult on one hand but ensuring a perfect sunlight exposure throughout the day on the other. Winegrowing here is an extremely demanding and difficult activity and the farmers’ hard work and passion are the heart of all wine production. It is indeed the combination of these two elements that guarantees the best possible results: low yields (1.5-2 kg of grapes per vine), high sugar contents and a ripening process that allows the development of the best aromas thanks to a good balance in day/night temperature variation. In short, grapes produced on these hills have all the essential features to become excellent wines.
With the Tiglione valley to the north and the Belbo valley to the south, the villages of Vinchio and Vaglio Serra are located on two opposite hills, in the heart of the Alto Monferrato region; the centre of one of the most renowned wine-growing areas in northern Italy: Southern Piedmont.
Although geographically close, other famous neighbouring wine-growing areas have very different soil composition, especially when it comes to ampelography.
Vinchio, Barbera’s homeland, has calcareous clay soils and the grapes grown here deliver wines with a good degree of acidity and structure, suitable for ageing. The hills are very steep, so manual labour is usually the norm as the use of machinery is almost impossible. Diversely, the west-facing area has mostly sandy soils which give our wines a high level of freshness and elegance.
The soils in the area around Vaglio Serra are very similar to the ones further south, towards Nizza Monferrato, and contain large quantities of clay with streaks of red soil which, in turn, deliver wines with greater structure and a more intense colour.
Nizza Monferrato is one of the best areas for the growth of Barbera grapevines. It is a small, very old town, which used to be called “Nizza of the straw” during the late Middle Ages. Nowadays it is an important centre of agriculture and business. The unbreakable bond between the town and Barbera wine is reflected in the label “Nizza” DOCG (Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin) and has already for some years defined a high-quality wine, produced using exclusively Barbera grapes from a very narrow area around the villages of Vinchio and Vaglio Serra.
The gentle slopes of the hills surrounding the town centre has made it possible to use mechanical aids in the vineyards and to implement specific modern technologies.
The hills around Nizza Monferrato have mostly clay and calcareous soils (white soils). These soil characteristics define the ampelographic traits of our Barbera wines: they are highly fruity thanks to the presence of calcium in the soil, which deliver a good bouquet while clay gives structure and a remarkable longevity.
The nearby highly renowned wine-growing areas have steep hills with mostly sandy, calcareous, and clay soils which give highly structured wines with a significant alcohol content and mature notes, enhanced by the ageing process. The region also has red, compact, and structured soils which deliver very aromatic richly coloured wine.
This great variety of soils results in complex and structured wines, with fresh and elegant flavours and multiple aromas, each of which has the unique distinctive trait of the vine grapes used.