Bera

The Bera family have farmed in the Langhe area of Piemonte since 1785. Their vineyard stretches between Alba and Asti on the road from Barbaresco and Neive that climbs up towards Neviglie and into nearby towns. Soils in the vineyard are heavy clay with limestone which lie on top of iron and galet. This is where the Moscato grape began making a name for itself in terms of winemaking. Moscato d'Asti. The wine all serious wine drinkers love to hate. And for no odd reason; there aren't many wines with such a bubble gummy-reputation as Moscato d'Asti out there. Or Asti Spumante, as her low-alcohol, chemically fruit-tasting sister is named. However, when something at some point became famous, there was a reason for the fame. What used to be a seriously delicious semi-sweet effervescent drink from one of the most beautifully floral grapes, quickly became a mass produced frankenstein of a wine, barely recognizable, and barely distinguishable from any artificially flavored alcoholic soft drink on the supermarket shelves.

The Bera estate, however, has a different, more venerable approach to their Moscato grapes. First of all, in 1964 - long before anybody even new the word 'garagiste' - they bottled their own Moscato d'Asti for the first time. Since everybody else was selling off their grapes for bigger wine companies, this must have been viewed as a crazy and risky idea at the time. But so they did, and moreover, the way they treat the grapes and approach the making of the infamous drink is very unconventional. Very ripe grapes, only indigenous yeast, no stabilization, no filtration and very low amounts of sulphur. You get the picture - an antithesis of Moscato d'Asti, basically. And oh my, is it good. Their respect for the Moscato grape also shows in their truly unique wine 'Bianchdudui', a nearly 20-year-old wine, now completely dry, aged for 16 years under flor. It's intense.

But of course, Allesandra and Gian-Luigi are not only about Moscato. They make a wide range of delicious red wines from Barbera and Dolcetto as well, favoring concrete and steel over oak to keep the wines fresh, fruit-expressive and with high drinkability. And one more white wine, Arcese, which is a blend of Arneïs, Cortese, Favorita and Sauvignon Blanc.