About the Producer:
The artisanal estate of Forteto della Luja is situated between the communes of Canelli and
Loazzolo in the Asti wine zone. While the property has been dedicated
to vines for centuries, its wines did not occupy a prominent place
on the market until 1985, when neighbor and friend Giacomo Bologna
(whose “Super-Barbera,” Bricco dell’Uccellone,
significantly upgraded Barbera’s viticultural station) encouraged
the owners to bottle a Moscato passito—bearing the estate’s
name—a wine that has acquired cult status. In 2005, the estate captured the attention
of wine producers throughout the world, becoming the first Piemontese
winery to run wholly on solar energy.
Forteto della Luja is owned by Giancarlo Scaglione,
who inherited the estate from his mother. Scaglione received a degree
in enology in 1962 and pursued further study at the University of
Turin, a course that culminated in the writing of a thesis on Moscati
d’Asti’s malolactic fermentation. He continued in the
classroom as a professor, teaching viticulture and oenology at the
Oenology School of Alba. His theoretical background received practical
application in his tenure as consultant and co-owner of a research
lab. His son, Giovanni, who holds a degree from the University of
Turin’s School of Agriculture, directs viticultural operations.
Forteto’s small portfolio is essentially dedicated to sweet bottlings
(a Moscato d’Asti, Moscato d’Asti passito, and Brachetto),
with Le Grive and Mon Ross (a Barbera d’Asti) constituting its
dry offerings.
|
