IGT Malvasia "Piume"

Obtained from malvasia vineyards in part very old (over 60 years) and in part more recent, with selected clones of aromatic Malvasia of Candia.

This grape comes from the Greek island of Crete (once called Candia), where it has been cultivated since ancient times.
Malvasia can be easily found in the adjacent province of Piacenza, but it has a long-standing tradition in Rovescala as well, often as a sweet or sparking wine.

Average density of about 4500/5,000 plants/hectare, guyot single shoot, to guarantee good quality to the final product.
Still and dry, sharply aromatic, evoking the flavour and fragrance of the grapes.
A brilliant hay coloured yellow, this white wine has a fine enveloping nose.

Taste is captivating and extremely characteristic.
Processing of the grapes is very simple; they are picked up in baskets and put whole in the press. The must is left to rest for about 12 hours, decanted in a steel tank to ferment and lees are lifted up from time to time. At the end of fermentation, before winter, it is moved to another tank, and then bottled before summer, after a light filtering.
SO2 is kept to the minimum, not to damage the natural bouquet.

"Piume" requires a certain care with food matching; which must focalize complementing its natural aroma, without being prevailed upon. A nice combination can be with fresh goat cheeses, raw fish, fried food, or Asiatic spicy cuisine. However, "Piume" can be consumed as an aperitif or in between meals, to underline joyous occasions or pensive moments. Serving temperature is around 11-12 °C.

IGT Malvasia "Dedica"

Another malvasia, completely different from “Piume”, though coming from the same vineyards.

Grapes are picked up in baskets and processed with the technique used for red wines; they are crushed and destemmed, must is left to ferment with the skins, which then come to the surface and are always kept wet and re-submerged.

At the end of fermentation, they drop to the bottom of the tank, which is filled to the brim, and stay there macerating until Halloween time. Then there is racking to take them away, and the wine is put to rest for winter. After an adequate amount of time, “Dedica” is bottled.

Exalting the aromatic nose of malvasia, this wine has also a tannic side a pleasant body; a deep gold color may present orange shades.

To be served not too cold, “Dedica” can also be enjoyed in matches unusual for a white wine. Dishes strongly flavored, spicy and hot, seasoned cheeses, fat salami like bacon or lard, smoked fish and shellfish.

IGT Pinot Noir "Nina"

100% Pinot Noir grapes, from vineyards planted from 1996 onwards, with a particular care to selected French clones and density (5000 plants/ha). Guyot one shoot, with no more than 9-10 buds.

Light red ruby, intense nose, earthy, typical, rich in aromas.

Clean taste, good body, soft but with balanced tannins.

Nina is a ‘young’ Pinot Noir, that completes its alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in a stainless steel tank. The level of SO2, even for a wine as delicate as pinot noir, is kept as low as possible. It is bottled before the summer following its vintage, after a light filtering.

Pinot Noir is well known and widespread all over the world; we believe that our easy-going ‘interpretation’ is equally expressive of this fantastic wine. A fresher rendering of the Pinot Noir personality, it can be more palatable to those who want something softer.

Regarding food matches, “Nina” is elegant but versatile. Couples without difficulty with white meats, cheeses, tuna or other blue or strong flavored fish.

O.P. DOC Barbera

Obtained entirely from barbera grapes, coming from middle aged vineyards, 5000 plants/hectare.

Deep red, with purple shades, it has a rich and varied nose; notes of fruit.

Tasty and smooth, soft and fragrant, with a good balance of its components and long lingering.

This barbera is processed and kept in stainless steel tanks, and, after the usual cellar operations for young red wines, it is bottled before the summer after vintage.

It is a nice companion to a meal of salami, meat or poultry, vegetable pies.

Even if our area is famous for croatina and bonarda, barbera takes an equally important share among our wines, and is well liked for its personality and ease of drinking.

O.P. DOC Bonarda

Obtained entirely from croatina grapes.

Vineyards are all guyot, one shoot. We left the ‘ancient’ ones for aged bonarda, while those devoted to this wine are 5000 plants/ha and with an age span within 15 years.

Intensely ruby coloured, with an expressive clean nose, pleasantly reminding of small red fruit. Rich in the mouth, with agreeable bonarda tannins, softly evolves in a round substantial finish.

No ageing in oak for this bonarda; after raking, it is put in a stainless steel tank, where it spends the winter. We like to give this the wine its time to mature slowly, so we never bottle it before the summer after vintage.

In this version, young and still, it can better express croatina’s points. It can be drank immediately, or during the 4 or 5 years following the vintage.

It matches well with salami, red meats, cheeses, but can accompany the whole meal.

IGT Croatina "Il Gigante"

Il Gigante is our latest product, made entirely with croatina grapes.
It was conceived almost by chance in 2011, while harvesting Zuccarello, our best cru. This vineyard, located at the highest point of the winery, lays at the top of a hill and enjoys the sun all day long. In another part of it, we also grow barbera; this is where the grapes for our aged wines come from.

When we brought the croatina grapes to the cellar, we found out that there was an amazing lot of sugar. Summer 2011 was quite hot and dry, and we had appreciable alcoholic degrees in all our vineyards.

Considering the exceptional result, we decided to make an exceptional wine. Thus “Il Gigante” (the Giant) was born. We decided to name it after our Pyrenees’ Mastiff dog Gillo, (aged 2 at the times) that weighted more than 80 kg (170 lbs), and looked indeed quite ‘gigantic’!

This is a wine of great body, a croatina at its best, for which we choose no oak, to leave untouched its pleasant fragrance, and preserve its slightly sweet taste.
It has not been an easy task. Wines with lot of sugar destined to be dry tend to stop fermentation after they reach a certain alcoholic degree. Contrariwise, the ones you wish to stop, proceed with slow determination. It is even more difficult in a cellar (and with a philosophy) like ours, with no chemical products or sophisticated technology. We rely on decanting and optimism.

The colour is a very dark red, almost inscrutable. The nose is clean, with lots of red fruit varieties. The sugar content mellows the bonarda tannins, that are undoubtedly there, easily recognizable. The wine is fresh, captivating and easy to drink, despite its high alcoholic content.

You can drink “Il Gigante” with the same matches of port, at dessert, with some cookies, chocolate or chocolate cakes, cheeses. Or simply have it in a spare moment of your day, or after dinner, letting it happily lead you to bed.

O.P. DOC Bonarda "Zaffo"

Obtained entirely from croatina grapes. An unbending wine, of solid stoutness, made gentler by ageing in a 25hl oak barrel, expresses at their best bonarda unmistakable characteristics.

Deep garnet colour, nose rich and filled with character, with pleasant oaky hints. The taste is terse and full-bodied, rightly tannic, with a balanced typicality.

A complete wine, with good structure and persistence, bound to last in time, and getting along the way more pliable and rich. Serving temperature 18°C.

Needs to be coupled with elaborate savory dishes, roasted red meats, stews or mixed boiled meats with sauces.

O.P. DOC Barbera "La strega, la gazza e il pioppo"

Obtained entirely from barbera grapes, from the oldest vineyards in our farm. It is our other barriqued wine; its voluptuous body and tame acidity tempted us to see how it would interact with the small oak.

This wine is made following our usual rules, and then put in barrique when the malolactic fermentation is completed.

The time spent there varies on vintages, depending on how the wine develops, but, with used ones like ours, it is never less than two years. ‘La strega…” tends to behave differently from “Il ghiro…”, having an easier and friendlier disposition, it becomes "ready" earlier and remains a more classic and less rustic wine.

Color is warm ruby, with little of its original purple notes; the nose is welcoming, rapidly opening up after a few swirls in the glass (you'll notice the marked pattern of small arches). It is possible to detect the tangy red fruit, strictly linked to the barrique own soft aroma.
Even when looking fully evolved, taste remains alive and kicking for long. A smooth, velvety barbera, with a body which loves to develop slowly with time. Lingering aftertaste. Serving temperature 19-20°C.

It can be matched with all the usual foods that go with well-structured wines. For this wine as well, we advice to open the bottle a little in advance, letting some oxygenation take place and allowing it to express itself.

O.P. DOC Bonarda "Ghiro Rosso d'inverno"

Obtained entirely from our very best and oldest bonarda vines. We started barriqued bonarda with vintage 1993, when there were not many aged bonarda around. We were rather curious to discover how this dark, consistent wine, with its strong tannins, would interact with toasted wood.

We liked the result and ‘Ghiro’ is made often, but not all vintages. We wait for those that follow an excellent season, when the grapes have ideal conditions for this product.

This wine is made following our usual rules, and then put in barrique when malolactic fermentation is completed; time there varies on vintages and wood. We never use all new barriques.

The “Ghiro” requires time to evolve, being rather ‘close’ and keeping to itself, with sometimes an excessive body. But it has its own personality, which can’t be tamed too much or too early without thwarting it.

Despite the aging, it maintains a rich thick ruby colour. The nose is typical of this variety, made ampler and more elegant by the oak and its fragrances, but still a perfectly recognizable bonarda. Taste is very definite; a plump wine, with plenty of fruits, spices, and sturdy tannins. It keeps evolving with time, mellowing a bit.

Serving temperature is 19-20°C. It couples with red meats, rich main courses, greasy and tasty sauces. We recommend that the bottle is opened in time, to let the wine breath, and possibly to decant it.