As the winery was established, the European economy faced a serious depression with an impressive number of bankruptcies of small and large private companies in Italy. The consequences were dramatic in unemployment and national and international sales, with a drastic cut in wages and salaries of public and private workers and employees. In those years, it became clear to Tortona’s winegrowers that they could only face those challenging moments together.

Thus, on the 12th day of September in 1931, with a public Act, the coop was established.

The microclimate of the Colli Tortonesi appellation area, together with the extraordinary soil of their vineyards, allows the production of remarkable wines, such as Derthona Timorasso, Favorita, Cortese, and reds grapes of Barbera and Dolcetto. The farmers are now 2nd and 3rd and 4th generations- they are still maintaining the dignity of the area and farming concerning the land as their founders did. While many have moved on from a farmer's life, they continue to work the biotic lands ceremoniously passed down. The area of Tortona is getting some good press, a Slow Food favorite, for not only its wines but also cheese, salumi, heirloom vegetables, plus the delightful regional cooking. Tortona, like most places you visit in Italy, is rich in culture- while it is a small town, it is not to be missed. With its medieval architecture, narrow lanes paved in black and white cobblestone, and an elegant square, it is a perfect stop from the Ligurian coast of Genova up north towards the Alps or Milano. Degusteria Forlino is a must at lunch there, and sip a glass of Timorasso.

Timorasso is indigene to the Colli Tortonesi area and is notably different than the other white grapes in the area. It is a grape that can be eaten straight off the vine, due to its high, though balanced, sugar and acidity. While it has always been considered to be a wine that you mature, there is a new understanding- let us say similar to Petit Chablis, where it is drunk younger, without the extended wait.

Current vintage Timorasso is displayed almost like a different grape. It expresses itself in an entirely fresh forward way with inviting acidity and exceptional structure. The nose of peach and yellow fleshy fruit and a touch of diffused woodsiness plus some warm drizzled honey brings forth a whole new Timorasso experience. It has a long, clean finish and is truly a wine that is intended to be shared more often with friends and good food.

Bottling: Takes place usually in late March after a light filtration. 
Production: 15,000 bottles per year

Cantina Tortona | Dolcetto

Colli Tortonesi DOC

When the concentration is on quality, then what you discover is a Dolcetto with a real sense of place, with layers of black fruits, bits of saline, and savory notes. Dolcetto can be a worthy ride, and Cantina di Tortona’s is.

Grape(s): Dolcetto
Training: Guyot with 10 buds per plant
Age of Vineyard: 20-60-year-old vines SW n facing, 100 - 300 meters
Soil: Clayey with arenaceous skeleton
Area of Vines: districts within the Colli Tortonesi DOC
Harvest: Handpicked in early to mid-September
The process: The must stay in contact with the skins for maceration for about 3 or 4 days. The must is fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, Left in bottle for 3 months or so before release.

The ups and downs of Dolcetto… Let's start by pleading with the little sweet ones’ greatest misfortune- Dolcetto is far too often viewed as the third wheel to Nebbiolo and Barbera. It is an early ripening grape, ahead of Nebbiolo and Barbera by 2-3 weeks, and producers in appellations that are centered on Nebbiolo and Barbera, tend to plant Dolcetto in vineyards that are less pleasant, reserving the best vineyard to other grapes. Traditionally Dolcetto is made as a Piedmontese early and easy wine. The inferior fruity wine you drink while you wait for the others to be ready. Well, that’s bologna!

For Dolcetto to provide high-quality wines that are complex and age-worthy, it demands time to fully mature its tannins in the vineyards. Dolcetto’s tannins are found in the pips, whereas Nebbiolo’s tannins are found in its skins. Therefore, site selection is as important as the care it takes to maintain the vineyard. It’s no wonder producers of Barolo overlook this needy, time-devouring grape! Though left in the hands of a farmer who only grows this grape or even the very few producers in the areas of higher distinction who have eyes for dolcetto, it can be enchanting.

Bottling in March - April after harvest
Production: 20,000 bottles per year

Cantina Tortona | Barbera

Colli Tortonesi DOC

It takes a village to raise a child, and it also takes a village to raise the standards of Barbera. Grape(s): Barbera

Training: Guyot with 9 buds per plant
Age of Vineyard: 20 - 60-year-old vines Southwest facing, 250 - 300 meters above sea level
Soil: Clayey with arenaceous skeleton
Area of Vines: Viguzzolo + Costa Vescovato
Harvest: mid to late September
The process: Handpicked around mid-September, the must stays in contact with the skins for maceration for about 10 days. The must is fermented at temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, then the wine spends 3 months in big wooden barrels. After bottling it is left in the bottle for 3 months or so before release.

Barbera is the most common vine variety in Colli Tortonesi, historically covering over half of the total acreage. For many decades farmers used it to make vino sfuso (the local term for “bulk” or “house” wine) and all was fine, simple wine for simpler times. Then came the epoch in which Barbera was not in demand- good nor bad. Many farmers left the fields and sought other ways of making a living. However in the latest years of the 20th century, as peoples’ search for higher quality wine grew, the few Colli Tortonesi growers and winemakers who stayed farming began to acknowledge the subpar nature of their areas Barbera. This harsh lesson to face; resulted in them making a collective decision to embark on making true wines of distinction.

Today, Barbera Colli Tortornesi is at the level they pictured it would be. Thanks to the microclimate and the soil, along with the new mindset, it is showing its true Piedmontese character. The evolution of Tortonesi Barbera is here thanks, in part, to the diligence of the farming members of Cantina di Tortona.

Bottling: around May - June after harvest
Production: 20,000 bottles per year