WINE: MORANDO FAMILY (MONTALBERA MONFERRATO), 'EXCELLENT QUALITY HARVEST EVEN IF SLIGHT DROP IN VOLUMES'

«Last October 15th we finished the 2023 harvest at Tenuta Montalbera, the "cathedral" of the native red "Ruchè". For the first time we have also applied the night harvest on a black grape variety such as Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato, to preserve its integrity, aromas and concentration", commented Franco Morando, General Director of Montalbera , an estate that extends across the territories of the Piedmontese Monferrato and Langa. «Ultimately, the performance of the 2023 harvest was overall positive: we had a drop of around 15% in volumes but, thanks above all to the strong night-day temperature range, the quality of the grapes was excellent and we expect great quality wines. We can only add that, to counteract the great heat and drought on our most delicate particles which were already overripe such as the Ruchè Lacce , we had to proceed with a "night harvest", to preserve the aromas, integrity and consistency of the grapes themselves, while also respecting of the health of our kids in their daily life in the vineyard. Now we will have to continue the work in the cellar but, thanks to the help of all our collaborators, I am confident we will have excellent wines that always tend towards excellence", stated Franco Morando, who then explained: "The 2023 harvest was certainly the result of some more rain than that of 2022 which had been very difficult to interpret. We change patterns every day. This year a reality like Montalbera, 130 hectares in a single plot, was lucky enough not to have been hit by the strong hailstorms that are affecting Italian winemaking and production. There has been a decrease in quantity, however we rely on extremely strict winemaking schemes and protocols and the 2023 vintage will certainly be the result of a beautiful qualitative reality", reassured Franco Morando. «Among the wines produced by Montalbera, the famous red Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato stands out, an indigenous vine typical of 8 countries which is an extremely elegant, silky, pleasant wine with large fruits and great pleasures, with a great balance that exactly reflects the international taste of the modern taster attentive to innovative pleasures", explained the General Director of Montalbera Franco Morando .

Ruchè di Castagnole di Monferrato is an ancient vine that is grown only in this limited area in the province of Asti, whose origins could date back to a community of monks devoted to San Rocco. But it was in the seventies, thanks to Don Giacomo Cauda, that the vine at risk of extinction was rediscovered. As a "parish benefit" he in fact found ten rows of Ruchè, which he became passionate about, falling in love with the grape still in the vineyard and, followed by other winemakers, began to plant this variety again. The rest is history: in 1987 the DOC arrived, in 2010 the DOCG and today Ruchè is appreciated for its truly unique characteristics. The Morando family, owners of Tenuta Montalbera, has always supported this extraordinary native red grape variety from Monferrato and is the market leader for Ruchè.