Rocco di Carpeneto

Lidia Carbonetti and Paolo Baretta worked in Milan’s financial sector for many years before breaking away from their former lives in 2008 to purchase five hectares of vineyards in Ovada. Since then, Lidia has successfully completed a degree in oenology, while Paolo immediately devoted himself to the practical side of viticulture, learning the region’s wine culture and traditions with the help of an old winemaker.

Rocco di Carpeneto lies beyond the well-trodden wine paths, in Alto Monferrato — more precisely, in the Ovada wine region. Geographically, the area is located in southern Piedmont, closer to Genoa than to Turin, though the nearby sea plays only a minor role due to the intervening mountains. Alongside Dogliani, Ovada is the only region where the Dolcetto grape has been awarded DOCG status — and that only recently, suggesting that significant developments have taken place in the area’s 1,500 hectares over the past few years.

Naturally, Dolcetto takes center stage in the couple’s vineyards, but Barbera, Nebbiolo, Albarossa, and Cortese also play important supporting roles — all varieties that have long been cultivated in the hills of Alto Monferrato (with the exception of Albarossa, a cross between Barbera and Nebbiolo).

Talk to Lidia and Paolo and you’ll hear a lot about manual labor, “grapes as blue as the sea,” old vines, their peripheral location, cool growing conditions, sandy and chalky soils, late harvests, and the time they spent hunting for the right wooden barrels.

And time in general — time on the skins and time in the cellar. Fermentation occurs spontaneously, either in stainless steel or large wooden casks. Aging takes place in 15hl, 10hl, and 7hl barrels, as well as in barriques — all used whenever possible, so the final word belongs not to the wood, but to the terroir and the grape variety.

Intervention is kept to a minimum. After the wine is transferred to its aging vessel, the winemakers do almost nothing until bottling. There is no fining or filtration; only a minimal dose of sulfur is added before the wine begins its journey.

STEIRA, RÒO & Co.

The names of the wines are all taken from the local dialect. For example, there’s Reitemp (dialect for the sound of bells warning of an approaching storm), a Barbera that offers red fruit, floral and earthy notes on the nose and then really comes alive on the palate. It’s cool and vibrant, powerful and gripping, dark and dynamic. Three weeks on the skins amplify the acidity and tannins, while 25 months in used barrels give them time to integrate and soften.

Steira (dialect for “stella” – star) is a Dolcetto that spends several weeks on the skins and several years in wood. Tannins are present in abundance — and in the best way: ripe, structuring, and perfectly interwoven with juicy fruit, peppery spice, and plenty of vitality. Two other Dolcettos, Auroura and Losna, grow in clay and loam at 270 meters above sea level, and focus on the classic dark, ripe, and juicy fruit character of the variety.

The red lineup is now complemented by three taut and mineral-driven Cortese wines: Ròo (dialect for “moon halo” or “moonlight”), Drï, and Reis.