Our
winery is situated in the town of Agliano Terme, to the south of Asti , in the
Monferrato Hills. Since June of 2014 Monferrato, along with Langhe and Roero,
have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Our little village is situated
in an area considered to be the heart of Barbera d'Asti production.
It
is among the municipalities with the largest planted area of this grape variety.
In 2015 the municipality, which has a total area of 1540 hectares, had on record
241 vineyards. This gave a total of more than 600 hectares of grapevines, of which
521 hectares were planted with Barbera ; 424.13 of the 500 hectares are documented
as registered Barbera d'Asti DOCG and Nizza.
In Agliano Terme more than
30 manufacturers produce and bottle their own wines. Moreover, the municipality
of Agliano Terme has its own winery Cooperative, called the Cantina Sociale Barbera
Sei Castelli, currently the largest producer by far of Barbera d'Asti DOCG.
The
prestigious value of Barbera wines from Agliano prompted several renowned wineries
in other areas to buy Barbera vineyards in Agliano. Twenty years ago there were
already producers who thought of the possibility of attributing a specific DOC
for Barbera, creating a specification for special low yields per hectare, to ensure
the quality and slower aging of the grapes, thus enhancing the wines' longevity.
This was the philosophy adopted by the Agliano wineries and has become one of
the guidelines in the production of our wines.
Our winery also is part
of Barbera Agliano, an association founded in July 2013 to promote excellence
in Agliano Terme's wines.
The uniqueness of this association is that we
have brought together not only producers of wine but all the related businesses
of the area. The association also encompasses the restaurateurs, retailers and
hotel owners. They have created a network to raise awareness of the beauty of
the region, the wine, the food, the scenery and the local culture. The goal being
to put Agliano in the focus of more tourists, Italian and foreign, who choose
to visit the Monferrato area.
The Barbera Agliano Association organizes
cultural and gastronomic events and initiatives, encouraging the economic development
of the different association collaborators. It puts a focus on quality and through
communication and information promotes our products all around 360 degrees. The
challenge undertaken is to make the name of Agliano Terme increasingly synonymous
with high quality Barbera, an ambitious strategy but, while challenging, something
we strongly believe in.