Welcome! My name is Elisa and it is my pleasure to receive you at Colombera... We find ourselves in the small village of Vho, 5 kilometers away from Tortona. The 22 hectares of vineyards are almost all gathered near the cellars, they are COLOMBERA's beating heart. Our passion for the work of the viticulturer and the vineryardist spurs us to constantly look for highest quality grapes. Through the work in the cellar, these grapes will then give their best in our wines. Through tasting you can breathe the scents of Tortona hills and enjoy the flavour of Vho lands. My grandfather Renato reached Cascina Colombera in 1937, after that his own farmstead was destroyed. He decides, together with his father Pietro and his mother Maria, to cultivate these lands and in the '50s he plants the first vineyards. His son Piercarlo soon warms to his father's work, assists him in the vineyards but prefers to work in the fields, on tractors and combine harvesters.
From the '70s on, the importance of the farm's winemaking side grows and my father Piercarlo understands that a turning point was going to be reached. He decides to stop selling the grapes to traders and co-operative wine cellar and starts producing his first wines. During the years his techniques in the cellar grow more refined, thanks to experience and precious advices. He starts selling all the wine he produces directly to private citizens, coming to Cascina Colombera thanks to the word-of-mouth of friends and acquaintances. In 1997 he starts thinking to enlarge the agricultural holding that by now has reached 14 hectares of vineyards, and there is a new project... In 1998 he carries out the first selection of barbera grapes from the oldest vineyard, "Vigna Brusà ", that had been planted by Renato, and, after thorough ageing, there it is the first wine bottle of Colombera ...
Since 2000, we've produced other two red wines, VEGIA RAMPANA from barbera grapes and SUCIAJA from nibiò, an autochthonous grape variety belonging to the family of dolcetto grapes. As far as 2000 white wines are concerned, we've produced the TIMORASSO, from white berry grapevine, and the BRICCO BARTOLOMEO, from cortese grape variety. Then, in 2002 still another red wine, COLLE DEL GRILLO (from freisa grapes), and in 2003 ARCHE' (from croatina grapes).
For the year 2006 we have been thinking about two reds for the day, a young barbera and a reserve. We've called this new project CASTEL ZENONE, like the castle once standing in Vho.
The 22 hectares of vineyards forming Colombera agricultural holding lie at Vho and a small part also at Sarezzano, in any case not more than 2 kilometers away from the cellar of vinification. Vineyard planting, pruning, canes tying down, thinning and grape harvesting are all hand made. For all our vineyards we've chosen south-east exposure, in order to give leafs and bunches the best sun exposure possible. Ventilation on these hills is excellent. The soil is clayey, prevalently dark, but with light spots here and there. The altitude above sea level goes from 220 to 300 meters. The growing method is counter espalier with guyot pruning. Vineyards are all planted "a ritocchino", that is to say they are arranged according to the length of the hill. The name of this system derives from the fact that, in past times, the ox working in the vineyard came down the hill erected and climbed it bent down.
From these 22 hectares of vineyards we obtain the grapes used for the wine to be sold in bulk to private citizens in the cellar, that is to say for CASTEL ZENONE and LA COLOMBERA. Grapes for bulk wine are selected from younger vineyards. For CASTEL ZENONE trimming is made in Colombera vineyard, for LA COLOMBERA on the contrary grapes are selected only from older vineyards; every best vineyard reflects a wine.