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Native vines: the great biodiversity of the grape varieties in the heart of Monferrato

Let’s start a journey with Tiziano Barea, Tenuta Montemagno’s owner, in the world of Piedmont native vines: Grignolino, Ruchè, Timorasso, Barbera d’Asti and Malvasia di Casorzo. There’s a corner in the Monferrato area – the land of UNESCO heritage “infernot” – where a few native vine varieties find a home. Those grapes are the base of great wines, which are enhanced and made famous in the world thanks to Tenuta Montemagno, Barea family’s winery.  Tenuta Montemagno is located on the gentle hills of Monferrato at the 45th parallel, an area particularly suited to the cultivation of vines since ancient times.

“Tenuta Montemagno philosophy has always been the enhancement of Monferrato native vines. Our philosophy means strengthening the territory, our identity and heritage at the same time” explains Tiziano Barea, owner of the family winery. The great biodiversity of the grape varieties present on these hills has ancient roots in this territory.

Here in the heart of Monferrato, we find Ruchè, Grignolino, Malvasia, Timorasso and Barbera d’Asti. “On these varieties Tenuta Montemagno has based its production philosophy which, combined with highly technological winemaking techniques, has made our wines an example of quality and innovation” continues Tiziano Barea. “Our TM method is developed through the following aspects: limited productions, careful defoliation of the vineyard to allow proper ventilation of the selected and hand-picked bunches; a second selection, strictly manual, precedes the mechanical de-stemming phase and the subsequent fermentation, carried out exclusively with selected noble yeasts. For red wines, the start of this delicate phase occurs only when the tank is filled, keeping the temperatures in perfect balance thanks to the Nectar technology” continues the owner of Tenuta Montemagno. Let’s discover together with Tiziano Barea these native varieties and let’s get to know the protagonists in the glass.

Read the full article by Wine Meridian here

Mysterium

Decanter, Mysterium and the top 40 Barbera d’Asti

The prestigious Decanter wine magazine has published an article dedicated to Italian oenology. Four pages have been reserved for the Barbera d’Asti DOCG appellation. The article also included the results of a blind tasting, performed with over 140 samples of the appellation, in which our Barbera Superiore Mysterium DOCG was among the top three wines with a score of 93 points.

A result that does us honor and that rewards the attention and commitment that we dedicate every day, in the vineyard as in the cellar, to the production of quality wines that are emblematic of excellence in Monferrato, Piedmont and National enology.

We publish below the notes of the Mysterium tasting, an extract from the article and the original PDF published in the magazine.

Tasting Notes

Tenuta Montemagno, Barbera d’Asti Superiore DOCG Mysterium 2016 – 93 points.

About fifteen years ago the Barea siblings bought an old 15th-century farmhouse along with its vineyards. The oldest vineyard on the estate (average age, 85) produces this Barbera: astoundingly harmonious, and supported by a clear, vital energy. Alc 14.5%.

Article Extract

Top 40

Barbera d’Asti

Barbera d’Asti originates from Monferrato or “Munfrà”, as it is called in local dialect, a region that spans the hills of Asti and Alessandria and is the prime production area for this Piedmontese wine. 

Swathes of vineyards as far as the eye can see, given their shape over the centuries by vine-dressers, offer a unique spectacle of light and colour. Farmhouses, ancient hamlets and medieval castles sprout up here and there. Woods and hazel groves make up the background. This is a wine-producing area to visit and discover, so full of traditions, history and foodie wonders, that it was given its own UNESCO World Heritage Site recognition in 2014, together with the nearby Langhe and Roero zones.

Having taken our fill of so much beauty, we come to the soul of these lands: Barbera d’Asti. The lady in red, as they call it around here, finds its best expression among these soft Asti hills because nature selected it a long time ago and the terrains that have the best exposure have been identified for its cultivation.

Original article published in the magazine: