The Vinchio Vaglio nest trail is a nature trail that brings together branches, emotions, poetry, wine and spectacular scenery. Here you can walk in the shade of the woods to shelter from the summer heat, listen to the chirping of cicadas, follow the dancing flight of swallows, sip a glass of Barbera, enjoy the magic of the vineyards and perhaps let the masche, Piedmontese witches, tell you some ancient legends.
Why a nest in the woods?
It all stems from the words of Davide Lajolo, writer and politician from Vinchio, who wrote ‘Vinchio is my nest’, marking not only his profound belonging to the territory, but also that sense of protection and love this land offered him in all its naturalness.
‘Vinchio is my nest, I was born here in the season of blond wheat. When I return here I am happy, I get rid of everything else. This is my land, it is like a woman I like very much, that I feel is mine and that no one can take away from me […] I have toiled with my imagination since I was a child, I have built castles and not all of them in the air, because I built them with the fertile soil of my countryside’.
The hills that inspired Lajolo’s poetry are precisely those of Monferrato, of Vinchio and Vaglio Serra, where the concreteness, typical of the winegrowers of these lands, met the magic of the dreamy views the territory offers. Through his writing, Lajolo succeeded in transforming a place of childhood into a literary setting where the winegrowers and peasant women became the protagonists of works that, even today, depict how indissoluble certain bonds are.
And it was precisely these verses by Lajolo that inspired Cantina Vinchio Vaglio to create this route through the woods. The nests perfectly represent our desire to protect the land and traditions, allowing the eye to wander outwards and welcoming visitors, enthusiasts, wine lovers and the onlookers with that family atmosphere that has always distinguished the winery.
Protecting the territory starts with a sketch on a napkin
The idea was born, almost as a joke, from our president Lorenzo Giordano during a long Barbera tasting, but found fertile ground in the creativity of architect Andrea Cappellino, who drew the first sketch on a paper napkin.
A sketch that became first a project and then reality, seeing the light on the 60th anniversary of the foundation of our Cantina Cooperativa, thanks also to the joint effort of the municipal administrations of the two towns of Vinchio and Vaglio Serra.
After all, ‘the preservation of our land is the very reason why the Cantina was founded,’ says president Lorenzo Giordano. ‘In sixty years of work, our organisation has given many small wine growers the opportunity to believe in their own land, thus avoiding the abandonment of the countryside. And the presence of winegrowers has in turn guaranteed the preservation of our hills.”
For us, the fact that we are a Cantina Cooperativa (cooperative winery) means looking at investments that do not only concern wine production, but also the enhancement of the territory, in the broadest possible sense.
It is also a cultural mission so that wine can be increasingly perceived as a cultural and traditional value that can be expressed through wine and food tourism.
How to visit the nest trail
The Vinchio Vaglio nests are hand-woven willow structures that house picnic tables to protect visitors from the sun and wind, while still allowing them to enjoy the beautiful surrounding landscape.
The Vinchio Vaglio nest trail starts right in the courtyard of our winery to reach Val Sarmassa and meet Vinchio’s Big Bench in barbera red, a work of Chris Bangle.
The path is accessible every day of the year during shop opening hours and is one kilometre long with less than one hundred metres of height difference. The softness of the path, the curiosities along it, the explanatory panels and the nests where to take a break, make it perfect to be tackled by everyone.
A unique route that will take you to discover four nests (Nido di Vaglio, Nido del Presidente, Nido di Vinchio, Nido della Barbera) and our Barbera through a landscape of hazelnut groves, lush vineyards, asparagus groves and woods where precious truffles are hidden.
Walking along this route you can perfectly grasp the essence of that ‘green sea’, the expression Davide Lajolo himself used to define Val Sarmassa. A valley that almost seems to float on the horizon of the hills, whose rows move with the wind and where you can still find fossil remains of prehistoric origin and shells.
One last piece of advice? Come and visit us in the shop, you will find everything you need for a totally original picnic!
