Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
CORDARA’S VINEYARDS BOAST EXCELLENT EXPOSURE, LOW YIELDS<br />
AND LOW ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT TECHNIQUES, ALL OF WHICH ARE<br />
PREREQUISITES FOR PRODUCING HIGH QUALITY GRAPES<br />
THE PRESENT-DAY CORDARA FAMILY HAS AN AGRICULTURAL HISTORY DATING<br />
BACK TO 1860<br />
CORDARA – CRAFTING MONFERRATO<br />
The Cordara winery is located in Castel Boglione in the province of Asti and manages a total<br />
of 5 hectares of vineyards, producing DOC and DOCG wines from indigenous grape varieties.<br />
The company is not organic but follows a traditional philosophy showing maximum respect<br />
for the environment and the production cycle. In the cellar too, the approach is traditional,<br />
with minimal use of winemaking inputs, thus allowing the product’s natural qualities to shine<br />
through without the need for external aids. The designations produced are Cortese dell’alto<br />
Monferrato DOC, Dolcetto d’Asti DOC, Dolcetto d’Asti superiore DOC, Freisa d’Asti DOC,<br />
Barbera d’Asti DOCG, and Barbera d’Asti superiore DOCG.<br />
Piedmont is best known, both in Italy and abroad, for the Barolo and Barbaresco appellations.<br />
Monferrato has always been slightly more in the shadows than the Langhe region, but in recent<br />
years it has carved out a significant place for itself in the market through wine tourism and<br />
typical wines such as Barbera and Moscato. Before Nebbiolo rose to prominence, the wines<br />
were among the most important pours in the region and have now garnered international<br />
recognition. From the Cordara winery’s perspective, Barbera has enhanced the reputation and<br />
positioning of Monferrato wines due to the inception of the Nizza DOCG.<br />
Climate change has been having a significant impact in recent years, creating challenges both<br />
for growing grapes and across the production process. The challenges have been amplified for<br />
wineries such as Cordara, which do not use technologies such as temperature control and refrigeration<br />
systems. Despite these difficulties, the team’s experience and sensitivity is enabling<br />
the winery to preserve the balance and identity of the wines.<br />
In the future, the company will launch production of two appellations from a new 1.20 hectare<br />
vineyard: a Nizza DOCG and a Monferrato Rosso DOC from Syrah grapes. The company’s<br />
overall production is in the range of 20,000 – 25,000 bottles a year and the main export markets<br />
are Italy and Northern Europe.<br />
66 SPRING 2024 • GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE