Monthly Archives: April 2011

The Orangery Marchesi d'Alfieri

The history of the Alfieri Castle dates back many centuries and the family archives evidence that there were vineyards around the area in the 14th century. Wine has been produced at  the current site for 400 years. Originally the ancient fortress enclosed the village but in 1721 work was completed on its transformation into a family residence. A century later the position of the village was moved to its present site with a new parish church and town hall built. Positioned between Asti and Alba, and a short drive to Barbaresco and Barolo, it provides an ideal base from which to tour the surrounding wineries. 2 houses, one within the private park and the other in the courtyard of the winery provide very comfortable accommodation. (more…)

Andrea, Stefania and Riccardo Sottimano

Andrea Sottimano‘s wines were our first real introduction to the best  wines of the area when we were buying our house here and they have remained a firm favourite. Before our purchase we had a high quality dinner in Antinè accompanied by Andrea’s wine, at their recommendation. The night before we closed the deal in May 2007 we were taken to our first Barbaresco a Tavola by the vendors, and now friends Marco & Ingrid Rivetti, at Rabayà. Perhaps driven by sentiment we rated his 2004 the best of the evening. It had been too long since we had visited and it was also an opportunity for Her Outdoors to get broody over their new son Riccardo. (more…)

Jeffrey Chilcott-Marchesi di Gresy

I had wanted to visit the cantina of Marchesi di Gresy for some time as I had always admired the house on the hill above Tre Stelle with it’s terrace on the roof offering 360° views. I had assumed that that was also the Cantina but as it turned it, that is the old family house, and the cantina is tucked away on the hillside below Tre Stelle. We arrived slightly late and parked the car and went in to meet Jeffrey Chilcott, the Cellar Master.I had left my camera in the car (unlocked) and as I went outside to retrieve it I saw one of the guys from the estate hanging out of the door trying to wrestle the car away from the vineyards. Someone hadn’t put the handbrake on and it had slowly crept across the car park towards the vine covered hill below. Tragedy averted: the car was unimportant but that would have been a lot of wonderful wine destroyed. (more…)