The Historic Coppo winery of Piedmont and their UNESCO underground wine cellars

It’s been almost 10 years since I’ve featured the wines of Coppo when I shared their 2013 Coppo La Rocca Gavi.  Wow!  That makes me sound old in the world of blogging.  When fellow wine writer, Jeff of Food Wine Click, presented the opportunity to taste some of the wines of Coppo again I was happy to jump on board.  I had the chance to try two Coppo wines I had yet to try their Monteriolo Chardonnay and Pomorolo Barbera.  Let’s chat a little about the winery first. 

The beginnings of Cantina Coppo 

The Coppo winery was initially established in 1892 and is considered one of the oldest wineries.  This is due to its recognition in 2012 by Unioncamere by as being a business that has had uninterrupted activity in the same sector for over 120 years.   

Coppo vineyards by Coppo winery

Piero Coppo was the original founder who had a passion for the wine industry and with his keen attention to detail he managed all stages of the winemaking process from beginning to end.  He married his wife, Clelia Pennone, whose family was a known wine producer, Pio Pennone, that had been producing and exporting wine for over 2 generations.  Piero’s mission was “to produce wines to express the local environment specificity” with “a constant commitment to uncompromising quality”.  Piero’s winery grew to about 128 acres with vineyards in Canelli, Gavi, Agliano Terme, Castelnuovo Calcea and the Langhe.  The focus was on grapes to include Barbera, Chardonnay, Moscato, Gavi and Nebbiolo. 

Canelli, the birthplace of Italian sparkling wine 

Upon Piero’s marriage Clelia, he joined Pio Pennone on their premises in Canelli where the company is still headquartered today.  Canelli is considered the birthplace of Italian sparkling wine.  In the late 19th century, Canelli was the location of the first Italian sparkling wine that was bottle fermented.  This is credited to Carlo Gancia, a pioneer that used Moscato grapes to produce these sparkling wines via the Champagne method.  He produced these wines in the underground cellars, or underground cathedrals, that are today recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The UNESCO recognized underground cellars of Coppo 

The tunnels that run underneath Canelli were originally excavated in the late 18th century.  They were dug out in the tufa by hand.  These tunnels, or underground cathedrals as they call them, were used for making and aging wine.   

Coppo underground cellars by Noemi Mengo

They run for a total of 16,400 feet and 130 feet deep and provide a consistent humidity and temperature level.  In 2014 they were recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and you can visit these tunnels today in Canelli.

Coppo underground cellars by Noemi Mengo

Coppo wines 

The 2022 Coppo Chardonnay Monteriolo Piemonte DOC has been produced since for 40 years since 1983.  It is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes.  These grapes are grown on marly, chalky soil at vineyards that sit about 2,100 feet above sea level.  The grapes macerate for 14 days and are aged for 8 months in French oak barriques are 50% new and 50% used barrels.   

This wine was straw colored with some goldish hues.  A slight toast with a touch of vanilla on the nose.  Medium in body with fresh acidity and ripe tropical fruit with a creaminess on the palate.  SRP $59 

I wasn't planning on doing any pairings this week since we are in our final week of the football season with my boys so to say I've had little time is an understatement.  I did make a chicken, broccoli and pasta dish that did end up pairing well together with this Chardonnay.  Secretly I prepared it in my instant pot as well.  This has become my best friend being short on time, but still wanting to eat a good meal.
 

The 2021 Coppo Pomorosso Nizza DOCG is Coppo’s leading Barbera that helped Coppo get worldwide recognition for it’s quality.  They have producting this wine, made from 100% Barbera, since 1984.  It wasn’t until 2014 when the Nizza DOCG was granted approval that it fell under this new designation.  Nizza is a small sub region within Monferrato. 

The wine is named after the red apple tree that grows at the top of the hill where the vineyards are located.  This wine spends 14 months aging in oak with an additional 6+ months in the bottle.  Coppo recommends that this wine will hit it’s peak with 5-10 years of ago.  Unfortunately, in order to share this wine with you I had to use my Coravin to pull some out, but I will revisit this bottle at a later time. 

The 2021 Coppo Pomorosso was deep ruby in color with purple highlights.  A rich nose of blackberry and black cherry with some spice and a hint of cocoa.  On the palate this wine is full-bodied with bright acidity.  Dark black plush fruits with plum and blackberries filling the palate.  spice with a touch of cocoa again along with a hint of oak on the elegant finish.  This wine was surprisingly 16.5 ABV, which I didn’t pick up at all.  SRP $69

The Coppo winery was acquired in 2021 by Gruppo Dosio that is led by Gianfranco Lanci, but the Coppo family still manages parts of the winery and is also part of the Board of Directions at Gruppo Dosio.  

Join the rest of my fellow wine writers as they sample an array of Coppo wines with some suggested pairings.

 • Camilla from Culinary Cam says "Let's Talk About Cortese and Barbera Grapes: Two Wines from the Historical Underground Wine Cellars of Coppo + Pairings"
• David from Cooking Chat shares "Pairings for Coppo Barbera and Moscato d'Asti "
• Payal from Keep the Peas shares "Coppo Winery 2023 Chardonnay 'Costebianche' x Vegetarian Punjabi Food"
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass shares "Two Piedmont classics: Nizza Barbera and Moscato d'Asti "
• Robin from Crushed Grape Chronicles reports on "Tunnels and Tufa - The Underground Cathedrals and Coppo Cellars"
• Terri at Our Good Life shares "Pairings with Nizza Barbera and Coppo Monteriolo Chardonnay"
• Martin at Enofylz Wine Blog shares "Historic Wines, Timeless Pairings: Coppo’s Nizza Barbera and Barolo with Wild Mushroom Risotto"
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator shares "From Coppo's UNESCO Cellars: Nizza and Gavi Paired with Shrimp Ceasar and Duck with Winter Squash Gratin"

• Lynn at Savor the Harvest shares "Chardonnay From One of the Oldest Family-Run Wineries in Italy - Coppo"
• Jeff at Food Wine Click! shares "Dinner with Coppo Wine Cellars Flagship 'Pomorosso' Nizza Barbera"

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*These wines were received as samples, but opinions are always my own.  I may receive commissions for any purchases made via links included this article in support of the operations of Vino Travels.

An evening in Boston with the wines of Oltrepo Pavese

Before the end of the year I wanted to highlight the Lombardy wine region and share a wine dinner I attended a couple months back in Boston sponsored by the Oltrepo Pavese Consorzio and wine friend Susannah of Vigneto Communications.  You may remember me highlighting some wines from the Oltrepo in Lombardy awhile back, which I will also rehighlight at the bottom of this article.  It was a splendid evening in the North End of Boston, the Italian section of Boston, at Forcella with great food and wine pairings, great conversation and a reminder of interesting and diverse this region really is.

Susannah (Vigneto Communicatiaons), myself, Carlo (Consorzio), David (Cooking Chat) and Alison (Artisan Wine Group)

The Oltrepo Pavese, pronounced ol-tray-po pah-vay-say, sits in the southern part of the Lombardy about 25 miles outside of Milan. It’s uniquely shaped within Lombardy looking like a cluster of grapes.  The vineyards cover 32,000 acres across 7 denominations with the flagship DOCG, and only DOCG, being the Oltrepo Pavese Metodo Classico Pinot Nero DOCG.   The Oltrepo receives a Mediterranean climate from the nearby influence of the Ligurian Sea and has more of a continental climate with the Po Valley.  Due to these factors, and others, there is a large diversity in the styles of wines produced in the Oltrepo.

Whether you have heard of the Oltrepo or not you may be surprised to learn that this wine area actually accounts for 65% of the wine production within Lombardy.  So much of the Oltrepo has changed over the years.  In 1884 the Oltrepo had 224 native vines with 59 grapes.  Today this area has 10 native vines with a much more limited amount of grapes.  It’s primary grapes grown and what it is known for are Barbara, Riseling, Croatina and especially Pinot Nero.  The Oltrepo Pavese is actually 3^rd in the world, besides Champagne and Burgundy France, for the production of their Pinot Noir.  Other grapes also produced within the Oltrepo Pavese include Uva Rara, Pinot Bianco, Cortese Bianco, Vespolina, Moscato, Pinot Grigio, Malvasia and Mueller Thurgau.

There are 4 valleys in the Oltrepo from west to east including Valle Straffora, Valle Coppa, Valle Scuropasso and Valle Versa.  Pinot Nero is frequently grown in the Valle Scuropasso.  Barbera you will find mostly within Valle Straffora and Valle Coppa.  Riesling does well in the calcareous soils of Valle Coppa.  Croatina is found in the central valleys eastward. 

We opened the evening with the lovely Ca’ di Frara T4 Brut Nature.  The 2022 Bruno Verdi Pinot Grigio was surprising as I never would’ve pinned that wine if tasted blind, although I’m far from an expert.  The texture and fruit profile in the wine reminded me of a Riesling.

Although I didn’t take specific notes on these wines during my dinner with the Consorzio I have to say that some of the pairings that we had complemented one another very well.  The star pairing was the La Travaglina Rugiade Oltrepo Pavese Riesling DOC paired with a cacio e pepe dish.  

Also, the Castello di Luzzano Sommossa Bonarda Frizzante with the pasta Bolognese surprisingly paired nicely with a slight frizzante.

Have you enjoyed wines from the Oltrepo?

Here are some of my previous articles on other wines of the Oltrepo Pavese.

•  Interesting Diversity in the Oltrepo Pavese
  

You can find Oltrepo Pavese wines at Wine.com. 

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*I may receive commissions if any wines are purchased directly from the above site to support the operations of Vino Travels.  

 

Classic Barbera with Michele Chiarlo

As we’re approaching the Thanksgiving holiday we all look forward to good times with family and friends along with good food and of course good wine. The question every Thanksgiving that folks wonder is which is the best wine to pair with your turkey and all the fixings. It’s a tough question considering the variety of flavors all mixed in on our dishes. The simple response is to drink what you like. Although, there are wines that will pair well on your Thanksgiving table due to their versatility. One of those grapes is the Barbera grape and that’s what I’ll be sharing today. 

Barbera grapes - copyright of Consorzio Barbera d'Asti

The Barbera Grape 

Over the years I have featured a couple wines from the known Michele Chiarlo winery of Piedmont. I won’t dig too much into the winery today as you can reference it in my previous article. The Barbera grape shows appearance in historical documents in Piedmont since 1512. Initially it was a grape that farmers used for their own personal consumption. As the word got out about Barbera and spread throughout the provinces it made it’s way on the the “Ampelografia” list of Piedmont vines from the Count Nuvolone in 1798 and started to creep into international markets. 

In the 1980’s multiple producers devoted much effort to increase the quality of Barbera through their extensive work in the vineyards and cellars. Barbera is the most abundant grape fo the Piedmont wine region in northwestern Italy occupying 30% of the vineyard acreage. 

The wine I’m featuring today, the 2017 Michele Chiarlo “Le Orme” Barbera d’Asti DOCG, is grown from the Asti area as the designation insinuates in its name. The wines of the Barbera d’Asti DOCG are grown in the hills of the Monferrato and Asti hills. Originally this grape comes from Monferrato, but is grown mostly in the provinces of Asti and Alessandria. It was originally recognized as a DOC in 1970 and received the DOCG designation later in 2008. 

In 2000 3 sub-areas were delimited to express these areas true identity of Barbera d’Asti that comes along with stricter regulations. These sub-areas include Tinella, Colli Astiani and Nizza. Nizza was upgraded to its own DOCG designation starting with the 2014 vintage. 

Copyright of Consorzio Barbera d'Asti

The Barbera of today is produced in a variety of styles whether it spends time in stainless or wood, but overall this is a grape that produces wines with freshness, pleasant acidity and great fruit mostly red fruits towards darker skinned fruits. The usage of wood will add vanilla nuances, spice and possibly some balsamic notes.  You’ll also see this grape grown throughout Italy and the world exemplifying it’s terroir, but in my opinion Piedmont will always be its home. 

The Wine 

Michele Chiarlo works with 4 of the classic, native grapes of Piedmont including Barbera, Nebbiolo, Cortese and Moscato. This week I tasted the 2017 Michele Chiarlo “Le Orme” Barbera d’Asti DOCG this week is made from 100% Barbera. This is considered their flagship wine and a classic Barbera. The name given to the wine, Le Orme, translates to the footsteps. In my opinion it represents the mark that Michele Chiarlo leaves behind him in serving over 60 harvests in the family’s business, especially working with this special grape in the region.  

The grapes that make up this wine are sourced from the family’s all 4 estates in the Nizza area including the esteemed La Court vineyard.   The soils are considered “Astian” soils that is sandy soil rich in limestone. The grapes spend 10 days macerating with the skins and are fermented in stainless steel. They are further refined for an additional 16 months with 3 months in oak and the rest in stainless steel and time in the bottle. 

The 2017 Michele Chiarlo “Le Orme” Barbera d’Asti DOCG had a little age on it, but was still drinking nicely. Ruby colored with a touch of purple hues. Aromas of plums, blackberries and black cherry. Medium-bodied and fresh on the palate. Cherry, blackberry and savory notes creating a pleasant wine where the flavors and elements are in harmony. A touch of tannins that are elegant towards the lingering finish. ABV 13.5% SRP $12.99

I paired this wine this week with a bacon wrapped filet with a side of roasted butternut squash.  I also tried it with pork gyoza potstickers I got from Trader Joe's.  All pairing lovely with this Barbera d'Asti so explore and try it with a number of dishes and you'll experience it's versatility as well.

Do you have a favorite Barbera?

You can find Barbera wines as well as the wines of Michele Chiarlo  on Wine.com. 

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Information sourced from the Consorzio Barbera d'Asti e Vini del Monferrato

 

*I may receive commissions if any wines are purchased directly from the above site to support the operations of Vino Travels.  

 

Here and Now with Hic et Nunc Wines of Monferrato

Last month I attended a virtual tasting of the wines from Hic et Nunc located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy.  The winery is based in Casale Monferrato, which is about 20 minutes outside of Asti and Alessandro based in the Alessandria province.  The winery is located on the lower part of Monferrato, known as Basso Monferrato, that is located on the 45th parallel, a synonmous latitude with some of the greatest wines of the world.  I was intrigued by the origins of the name Hic et Nunc since it seemed unusual for an Italian winery.  The name originates from Latin that stands for “here and now”.  The here represents the chosen area of Monferrato to grow the wines where the vision is for the “pursuit of authentic purity of aromas and sensorial notes” and there is no better time than the present, “the now”.    

Copyright of Hic et Nunc

The Winery ~ Hic et Nunc 

In 2012 the Rosolen family, originally from the Friuli region, bought the estate from Giovanni Ratibondi, the winemaker that owned a larger portion of the vineyards.  Giovanni remained onboard following the purchase to care for the vineyards.  In 2015, Mario Rosolen and his son Massimo, whom is now the President, started producing wines under the Hic et Nunc brand with Cristiano Garella as the winemaker as of 2021. 

Hic et Nunc focuses on only local varieties with a focus on single grape varieties including Barbera del Monferrato, Barbera d’Asti, Grignolino and Cortese.  The estate is located on about 250 acres of land with 50 acres dedicated to vines totaling a production of about 150,000-160,000 bottles annually.  Some of the Barbera vines are over 80+ years old!  They believe in making sure the grapes reach full maturation with long maceration times and the juice fermenting in stainless steels tanks with minimal use of wood and when used only using tonneaux.  The goal is to make artisanal wines in which they “look for finesse, amaze for its drinkability, the richness of the fruit and complexity of the aromas”.   

The soils of the Monferrato vineyards are on ancient sea beds from the Jurassic era consisting of white calcareous soils that produce wines that are aromatic and floral including their Cortese and Grignolino are red clay where their Barbera and Dolcetto are grown.  The climate of this area used to be cold with a good amount of rain, but the climate has been changing to a drier climate with higher temperatures with the 2017, 2018 and 2022 being some of the warmest vintages.   

Copyright of Hic et Nunc

The Wines 

The 2019 Hic et Nunc Dolcetto Mondano Monferrato DOC is one of the few Dolcettos being made in Monferrato they mentioned during the tasting.  These grapes are hand-picked from a single vineyard in Bricco, the highest vineyard on the estate at 400 meters above sea level with southern exposure and white tuff soils.  This wine spends 12 days in maceration and ages 8 months in stainless steel.  It was a deeper ruby color with aromas of a blackberry, blueberry jam.  Full-bodied with gripping tannins up front that were greeted by juicy blackberries and current notes.  ABV 14% 15 euro

The 2021 Hic et Nunc Monolite Cortese Piemonte DOC is grown from 35-40 year old vines.  Even though it was my preferred style, it’s important to learn about the white grapes of Piedmont, in this case Cortese.  Cortese is a grape known for it’s high acidity, which was prevalent in this bottle.  It’s typically a grape made in bulk or has been replaced by Chardonnay.  This wine spent 90% in stainless steel with 10% in barrique without fining or filtering for freshness.  ABV 14%.   21 Euro

I loved comparing their two Barbera wines with two very different styles. The more fresh, juicy 2018 Hic et Nunc Femminile Singolare Barbera del Monferrato and the more structured, fuller bodied 2018 Hic et Nunc Monumento Barbera del Monferrato Superiore.  

The 2018 Hic et Nunc Femminile Singolare Barbera del Monferrato DOC is made from 100% Barbera hand-harvested from 3 vineyards sites close to the winery. The grapes are grown in a mixture of soils to include red clay, limestone and white marl. This wine is not fined or filtered and spends 15 days in maceration with 12 months in stainless steel only. Deep ruby in color with garnet hues. Aromas of freshly crushed blackberries, cherry and black cherry with baking spice notes. Medium-bodied with lively acidity with juicy black fruits that were persistent throughout. ABV 14% 16 euro 

In comparison is the 2018 Hic et Nunc Monumento Barbera del Monferrato Superiore DOC also made of 100% Barbera, but these grapes are grown from 80 year old vines from 2 of the oldest sites on top of the Mongetto hill that receive an abundance of sunshine. Here the soils are more iron based, which happens to be found in the name in where these vines are grown in Monferrato with “ferro” translating to iron. This wines spends 30 days in maceration with 12 months in stainless steel and an additional 15 months in French oak. A deeper color in comparison to the prior Barbera with a much different aromatic profile lending more towards an herbal nose with luscious vanilla and cherry. A layered, full-bodied with moderate tannin, a solid acidic backbone with riper fruits. Seems like a warming wine to sit by the fire as we creep into fall. ABV 15% 26 euro

I have another wine or two I plan to try, but didn’t want to delay any further in sharing some of the more recent wines I tried. I will update at a later date.   Hic et Nunc is also in process to convert to organic.  Until next time Italian wine lovers!

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*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are always my own.

Importer: RARM Imports LLC