Crivelli

Castagnole Monferrato, Asti Piedmont, Italy Azienda Agricola Crivelli was officially established in 1986, even though the Crivelli family has always vinifiied their own grapes, it was Four generations ago, in 1919, Secondo Crivelli moved to Castagnole Monferrato around 1860, coming from the small village of Serre Crivelli of the town of Castiglione d'Asti. The period between World War I and II was the best period for the development of the estate: the wine was always sold, the quality always appreciated and the farm reached a land mass of 2 hectares of vineyards and sharecropping. The small family cellar was working well and continued to do so to the present day. In 1979, the Marco M. Crivelli enlarged the farm bringing in to a surface area of 8 hectares.He improved the cellar, with a vision towards the estate’s future, with his son, Jonathan at the helm. Marco has a special affection for Ruché, the unique varietal of Castagnole Monferrato. His dream is that this Vine and Wine together with the Village, can become known worldwide known. Marco understands that it would be impossible to reach this goal without the help of other producers in his area. He has rededicated his efforts to educating and persuading young wine producers of his village to support this precious vine. Marco Maria Crivelli is the president of the association of Ruche’ producers, a small group of farmers who fervently believe in the excellence of this rare grape varietal, indigenous to the province of Asti. His ancestors had planted vineyards in 1919, but the bottling of their wine began only in 1989. Now the farm has 8 hectares of vines grown without herbicides or pesticides. The soil is a combination of sand and hard tufa stone, so the vines are able to go very deep to get their nutrients and don’t suffer any hydric-stress during the hot summer months. The focus of Crivelli is on the two traditional grapes of the area: Grignolino and Ruchè. Grignolino was described by Veronelli as an “anarchic” wine, difficult to understand but capable of offering unexpected pleasures if paired correctly with crustaceans or light white meats. The Ruchè was nearly extinct because it requires a lot of care in the vineyards but, thanks to the parish priest of Castagnole Monferrato who in 1980 revived some Ruchè vineyards, it is now produced by about 20 wineries, for a total of 400.000 bottles. In 2010 it has achieved the DOCG status. It is a wine of vibrant red color with violet tones in its youth. Its classic aroma is of geranium leaves, the mouthfeel is lush with very little acidity and good glycerine content. It pairs well with aged cheeses and game dishes.