Alta Langa Sparkling Wine

If you want to make a good impression on an Italian terrace and fancy a sparkling wine, ask if they also serve "Alta Langha Spumante". This wine has become a household name, especially in the northern regions of Italy.

I first came into contact with Alta Langha Spumante when I got to know the "Durio" wine family. The conditions for production include planting Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes at an altitude of over 250 metres above sea level. Ideal on our hill, which reaches a height of 485 metres.

Perhaps a nice project for the future. Until then, you are most welcome to open and taste a bottle of Alta Langha Spumante in my wine bar.

History

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Counts of Sambuy introduced the Pinot grape to Piemonte. Later, Pinot Noir was imported directly from Burgundy, but initially it did not attract much interest from local winemakers.

This changed at the end of the 19th century when the pioneers Giovanni Boschiero and Carlo Gancia promoted its distribution in the Asti area and in the Canelli area for the production of their prized sparkling wines according to the classic method.

In the early 1990s, a group of seven important sparkling wine companies from Piedmont started an experimental project. An experiment with the aim of producing a sparkling wine using the classic method that led to the creation of the Alta Langa Consortium in 2001. Since 2001, the Alta Langha DOC has been recognized as the first Piedmontese denomination to focus exclusively on the classic method. In 2011, the method achieved DOCG status.

Today, in some towns and villages you can find unique underground structures for storing bottles during refining. These so-called underground cathedrals were recognized in 2014 as part of the 50th Italian heritage: the "UNESCO wine-growing landscapes of Piemonte: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato".

Most Alta Langha Spumante sparkling wines are based on the Pinot Noir grape, sometimes with a percentage of Chardonnay grape. A few use a higher percentage of Chardonnay than Pinot Noir. The planting is at least 4,000 vines per hectare. The harvest is manual. The bottles must mature for at least 30 months and for the designation 'riserva' even 36 years.

Producers and wines

There are now numerous products spread over 149 municipalities in the Alta Langha. You can taste these wines, for example, in the town of "Loazzolo". Feel free to ask for more information at your accommodation.

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