THE MONFERRATO

The Monferrato, a generous Piedmontese wine area, extends from the threshold of Turin to an eastern border with Alessandria. From north to south, it includes all the band of hills lying below the Po, eventually losing its identity in a district called the Langa Astigiana around Roccaverano.
The part nearest the Appennines is called "Upper Monferrato". It comprises the towns of Aqui Terme and Ovada, as well as the zone where Gavi and Cortese are produced. The second part, Monferrato Casalese, takes its name from the town of Casale, even though it is only located on the edge of the hills. The centre, on the other land, comprises the Astigiano, the most substantial and personal part of the Monferrato, which lies astride the Tanaro and is heart of the production of a large number of appellation of controlled origin wines.

Renowned for the choiceness and quantity of its wine output, the Monferrato as a whole is primarily a cause of surprise on account of the wide variety of its wines: from the white "Cortese" through the delicate red of "Grignolino" to the deep reds of "Dolcetto", "Freisa" and "Barbera" and the aromatic "Muscat".
In recent years, the Monferrato has been the centre of a great development of Moscato D'Asti, a wine grape variety with exceptionally aromatic features and a very delicate taste, from which Asti Spumante is made.
The international success of thid production has encouraged winwgrowers to expand their vineyards. The variety has thus invaded all the hillsides of an extensive "zone of origin", supplying a flow of grapes to a host of manufactuers and cooperative cellars mainly located at Canelli and in the Belbo Valley. These produce more than 80 million bottles of spumante a year.

Nobles wines of Aqui Terme and Ovada, Monferrato as:

Cortese
Grignolino
Dolcetto
Freisa
Barbera
Muscat

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Last updated 30-Jun-97
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