Monferrato DOC: many grapes, a landscape to be crossed

The DOC area embraces the provinces of Asti and Alessandria. The geographical breadth is reflected in the differences of landscape: in Monferrato Casalese the villages and the stone from cantons accompany the visit; Monferrato Astigiano other dorsals and other reference centers meet. Follow the name Monferrato is therefore moving between different agricultural environments.

A view observed by Vignale shows the relationship between housing and countryside. The vineyards alternate with other crops, while the roads connect the nuclei on the heights. In this geography, the location of the vineyard helps to understand the bottle much more than an indistinct image of hills.

Recognized in 1994, the name gave way to both Piedmont varieties and their meeting with international vines. The assembly is one of its possibilities: a choice that allows producers to build their own profile within the common rules. The history of DOC is also part of the contemporary research of companies.

For the visitor this opening is interesting because it makes visible the work of cellar. Two Red Monferrato can start from different combinations; knowing the grapes used gives a precise meaning to comparison. The tradition of the hills continues through concrete decisions on the vineyard, the harvest and the composition of wine.

Red and White versions allow one or more non-aromatic vines of the respective color. Next to these types there are types such as Chiaretto, Freisa, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo and Casalese Cortese. The specification is therefore an essential part of the name: it directs the tasting and connects the wine to a more defined ampelographic base.

The pages of the Barbera, Freisa and Cortese allow to deepen three different threads. In the company you can compare an assembly with a bottle bearing the name of the vine. Search for the relationship between freshness, structure and maturation: this is where the productive choice becomes experience of taste.

The specification Nebbiolo requires at least 90% of that variety; for Freisa, Dolcetto and Casalese Cortese the minimum quota of the indicated vine is 85%. The differences help to formulate targeted questions during the tasting: which space has the main grape, what adds the possible complement, how the wine changes compared to an assembly. The full name of the bottle thus becomes a key to know the production, beyond the shared geographical reference.

A day in Casalese can join Casale, Cella Monte and Vignale. The meeting with the infernot introduces the domestic preservation of wine and the relationship between stone and houses. The visit to the cellar adds the agricultural present to this heritage, bringing attention to the slopes and people who work them.

To continue, compare the DOC with the Barbera del Monferrato and the Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese. They are denominations with more circumscribed characters, useful to focus the plurality encountered during the journey. Bringing the name of the countries visited finally turns the label into a small personal map.