Azienda Agricola Teresa Soria di Emanuele Contino #12
Teresa Soria – a viticulture that respects its hills and history
The story of the Teresa Soria winery is a story about heroic viticulture and one of the few, if not the only one, that produces Moscato d’Asti Vendemmia Tardiva – unique wine of a kind of passito. Its vineyards are located on 12 hectares and cover with an emerald sheet the hills in Castiglione Tinella, in the Southern Piedmont where the Langa overlooks the Monferrato. This is the land of luxurious wines and heroic winemakers – after all, the third generation of producers cultivates vines on slopes with an inclination of 40 degrees. The nearby town of Canelli is a must-visit for every wine tourist, because it is a town where at the end of XIX century the first Italian sparkling wine Spumante was born. Its hills are rich in history and culture. It is the throbbing heart of the classical area of the Moscato d’Asti and of the Asti Spumante DOCG, a territory which has been declared Common Heritage of Mankind by the UNESCO.
Teresa Soria talks about an old-style viticulture, the one of our grandparents, which in these areas is at risk of extinction to the advantage of replanting on less inaccessible territories where costs are more limited, mechanization is almost complete and greater productions per hectare are obtained.
A course set for Sustainability
All vineyards and grapes harvested from them are SNQPI certified. A family of winegrowers follows a very difficult path, preserving traditional methods of vine cultivation. The owners of the winery – Piero and Teresa and their son – strive for sustainability on several fronts, by respecting people and the environment. The National Quality System of integrated production is a system of voluntary integrated protection achieved through specific technical standards for each crop and binding phytosanitary indications (production guidelines), including agronomic and phytosanitary practices and limitations to the choice of phytosanitary products and to the number of treatments.
Assortment of wines and other impressions
Everyone who gets to know the Teresa Soria range is in for an exciting journey into the diversity of the world of wine. From these vineyards, the Moscato d’Asti Vigna Moncucco, the Moscato d’Asti late harvest Vigna Marini and the Piemonte DOC UNUSUAL Dry Muscat are produced. Some specialties that also are available in a limited version are Moscato d’Asti DOCG Vigna Moncucco Collection 60 months with an aging of over 5 years in the bottle, and the INSOLITO Collezione, a dry Moscato in purity aged for one year in barriques. Apart from wines, a family of winemakers crafts a Grappa di Moscato Aged in barriques and the traditional product of area: the Turin Vermouth, which Teresa Soria makes, using its dry Moscato, ideal for make aperitif cocktails.
Besides, here are the Langhe DOC Arneis, the Rosè di Marin, a Piedmont DOC Dry Brachetto and two red wines suitable for daily consumption, the Langhe DOC Dolcetto and Barbera d’Alba, both aged only in steel and finally two reds aged in wood: the Langhe DOC Nebbiolo and Barbera d’Alba Superiore.
Enjoy tasting on the steep picturesque slopes
Winery guests can enjoy a variety of tastings, including outdoor tastings on the incredibly picturesque slopes of Vigna Moncucco. This is what the founders of the project say about the wines that are made on this steep hill: “A Sorì among the frightening ones, very steep, with a beautiful ciabot (construction) in the middle and in 2014 we bottled our first Moscato d’Asti DOCG. The choice was to put on the label the name of the hill from which grapes came by adding “vineyard”. It is a very important distinctive sign.”
Collezione Sessantamesi
“The intention is to valorise this region and to evaluate its evolution over time. Just for this reason, we reserve a hundred bottles of every vintage, in order to taste them in a little while. We are convinced in this way to be able to lay the foundation for a wine area of Moscato.
After each harvest we take off from the market a certain number of bottles of Moscato d’Asti Vigna Moncucco. Quantity that varies from year to year depending on the aging potential of that vintage. We let it rest in the bottle for 5 years. After this period of refinement, we are re-proposing it for sale under the name “Collezione Sessantamesi” (“Sixty Months Collection”). The youthful freshness of Moscato gives way to more mature tertiary aromas such as hydrocarbon, bubble and less exuberant and the color is more intense. A sweet wine that lends itself to surprising combinations!”
But, in addition to this, many other impressions await tourists here. Experiences at the Teresa Soria winery are special occasions: a wonderful land is revealed here. The area where cellar and vineyards are located was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2014. In these vineyards, adjacent to the cellar, there are spontaneous orchids. For this reason, since 2022 they have been guardians of orchids on behalf of Legambiente Lombardia through the European project Lifeorchidis. You can enjoy the magnificent landscape of the surrounding hills sitting on the giant chairs of the Sorì Eroici of Moncucco.
Excursions and tastings at Teresa Soria take place by order and prior agreement.
