Monferrato wine and more: Taste through Southwestern Piedmont wines when you visit the Scarpa winery.
If your holiday plans in the Piedmont region include wine (and, c’mon – they really should), visit the historic Scarpa winery to gain a deeper understanding of this magical corner of the Piedmont wine region.
Scarpa Villas is a part of Scarpa’s hospitality experiences, so we know a thing or two about the winery and the Monferrato wine region. These wines are worth a taste and the visit is worth the experience.
Defining Monferrato wine: About Scarpa Winery
Since the early 1900s, Scarpa’s portfolio has centered around the royal grapes of the Piedmont region with a focus on Monferrato wine, including barbera, freisa, ruché, brachetto, dolcetto, moscato d’asti, and this year’s first release of timorasso.
While the winery is proud of its Barolo and Barbaresco wines, it remains devoted to the heritage of the Monferrato wine region. That means that barbera reigns supreme – and, once you taste the Scarpa barbera wines, you will understand why.
The Scarpa mission:
Celebrating the culture and terroir of the Piedmont wine region
The winery employs sustainable practices in the vineyards and extended bottle aging in the cellar. Every wine from dolcetto to the winery’s top La Bogliona Barbera d’Asti DOCG releases well after others of the same vintage.
Scarpa’s two cru barbera wines, La Bogliona Barbera d’Asti DOCG and I Bricchi Barbera d’Asti DOCG, follow vinification and aging methods that are similar to those required of Barolo and Barbaresco. Even the younger drinking Casa Scarpa Barbera d’Asti DOCG benefits from extended cellar aging.
Much of the difference you taste in Scarpa’s barbera wines can be attributed to the soil where the vines reside. The soil composition of clay, silt, and sand give rich, structured wines, not often found barbera. La Bogliona and I Bricchi age in large botti grande, giving them powerful elegance and creating barbera wines that will age for 15 to 25 years.
Wines of the Langhe and Roero
As noted, the Scarpa product list also includes the Piedmont region’s noble nebbiolo grape. The wines include:
- Barolo Tettimorra DOCG
- Barbaresco Tettineive DOCG
- Nebbiolo d’Alba Bric du Nota from the Roero wine region.
- Barolo Monvigliero DOCG; Scarpa is set to release its first Monvigliero label with the 2018 vintage; enters the market in 2022.
Scarpa’s rich heritage allows the winery to produce, age, and bottle the Barolo and Barbaresco wines in Nizza Monferrato. Italy’s strict DOCG regulations dictate that production outside the zone is permitted only if the producer made the wine prior to its 1966 establishment.
Scarpa’s nebbiolo for Barolo grapes are grown in estate-owned vineyards from the Barolo communes of La Morra and Verduno. The winery’s nebbiolo for Barbaresco grapes are grown in estate-owned vineyards in Neive. After harvest, the grapes are transported to the cellar in Nizza Monferrato for production.
In the Vineyards
Scarpa has a similar set-up to many in Southwestern Piedmont whereby the vineyards are not in the same place as the cellar. The primary Scarpa vineyard area is about 20 minutes by car in the Monferrato wine region. All the grapes for the Monferrato wines in the Scarpa portfolio are grown in this beautiful space. The total area is 50 hectares / 123 acres with 24 hectares / 59 acres under vine.
The Monferrato averages 2000 hours of sun annually; that, combined with a gentle, mild, and dry climate makes the territory ideal for grape cultivation. Sustainable farming practices in the vineyards give the land natural balance and harmony.
Visit the Scarpa winery to see where wines have been made since the early 1900s
After a careful renovation project, the winery recently opened a new tasting room to welcome visitors for cellar tours, insight on the winemaking history of Piedmont and the Monferrato wine region, and of course a wine tasting experience.
The visit can be a more traditional tasting experience from one of the specialty tasting programs offered or a custom tasting to include food and wine pairings, a Master Class, and more.
On request, the winery can provide specialty tasting programs off-site:
- If you are staying at Scarpa Villas, organize a tasting in the comfort of your villa with a winery representative. Make it an activity all on its own or combine it with personal chef services for a pairing experience.
- If you can’t make it to the winery, let us organize a specialty program for you with one of Scarpa’s hospitality partners and / or at your private residence or accommodations.
Scarpa’s extensive library collection in Nizza Monferrato is unique to the Piedmont region with available bottles of Barolo, Barbaresco, La Bogliona Barbera, I Bricchi Barbera, Rouchet, Freisa, and more dating back to 1962.
Incorporate these library wines into your tasting experience with our Coravin program, or purchase some for your private collection (bottle limits apply.)
Getting wine home from Italy
When you purchase wines from Scarpa, we can make recommendations for international shipping services and wine travel products are also available for sale.
In the tasting room and at The Villas, you can purchase 12- and 15-bottle Wine Check luggage.
The wheeled Wine Check case helps you transport bottles via car, air, and train. Both sizes meet the standard 23 kg / 50 lb airline limits – even with heavier sparkling wine bottles.
Don’t wait, book your visit to the Scarpa winery today!
And, sign up to receive updates on Scarpa Villas and receive a free classic tasting or 25 percent off one of our premium tasting programs – reedemable at the tasting room or a personal experience right at The Villas when you stay with us.