Vigneti Massa L'Avvelenata

The freisa, a variety native to Piedmont (northwest Italy), was very famous. Gradually, however, nebbiolo and barbera began to take centre stage, partly displacing this grape rich in tannins and very pleasant on the nose. Even so, this grape is still grown in the 30 hectares of vineyards that Walter Massa has spread between the hills of Monleale and Tortona, in the province of Alessandria and from which he makes Vigneti Massa L'Avvelenata, an organic single-varietal red wine.

Today, Walter Massa has become a reference and a model figure for the producers in the area, picking up the baton from his family, taking charge of the Vigneti Massa winery (founded by this family line in 1789), which today has become a leading authority due to the blind faith that Walter Massa had in the timoraso (a native white variety that has been on the verge of disappearing). Walter Massa’s first production – based on this variety – surprised the world in 1987. Today the family of wines has grown, and Vigneti Massa L'Avvelenata has been added to the family.

Throughout this time, the philosophy of Vigneti Massa has remained unchanged, always based on minimal interventions (both in the vineyard and in the winery). In the field, the vines grow between 200 and 300 metres above sea level on varied soils with a mix of clay loams and a south-southeast orientation. The strong contrasts between night and day temperatures facilitate the deposition of anthocyanins (polyphenol that gives the grape its red colour), resulting in the production of wines with an intense colour. Finally, spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel tanks with native yeasts (at controlled temperatures) and the elimination of fining agents and filtration make Vigneti Massa L'Avvelenata a red wine made by a living legend that should not be missed for anything in the world.