“Montalbera” winery

The Montalbera Winery is located in an area that covers the townships of Grana, Castagnole Monferrato, and Montemagno, in the heart of a UNESCO World Heritage landscape. In the mid-1980s, the Morando family began expanding their property by purchasing land in adjacent territories and planting it with new grapevines. They mostly planted Ruchè, the variety that was to become the symbol of Montalbera.

In 2005, Franco Morando took over the direction of the winery and steered it in a new direction, emphasizing communication and wine culture. Today, a continuous stretch of vineyard-covered land encircles the winery.

The vineyards are planted entirely on hillsides, giving the vines different expositions and soil, from clay to limestone. But Montalbera represents more than Monferrato. The Morando family’s origins are from the Langhe, in Castiglione Tinella, where they cultivate 15 hectares of the winery’ vineyards with Moscato d’Asti; Moscato d’Asti DOCG San Carlo is produced from these vineyards. Montalbera’s production philosophy puts the fruit of the wine at the center of everything.

Each wine is interpreted in different ways, from stainless steel to wood, from overripe to withering, in order to best develop the multifaceted personality of each variety. The vineyards cover six entire hills, which dip down into a valley cultivated with the traditional Piedmontese hazelnut. The vines vary in age from 7 to 30 years, and are trained in low Guyot trellises.

All the agricultural work is done by hand.