“Il Fondatore”, Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOCG Riserva 2021 tribute to the founder of Montalbera Enrico Riccardo Morando, and to the assignment of the 5 Grappoli Bibenda. A great reconfirmation after receiving the award in the 2024 edition for the Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOCG Riserva “Limpronta” 2020.

A new milestone for Montalbera which sees the assignment of the prestigious “ 5 Grappoli Bibenda ” recognition to the Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOCG Riserva 2021 “Il Fondatore” . After receiving the award in the 2024 edition for the Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOCG Riserva “Limpronta” 2020, Montalbera confirms its excellence in the 2025 edition.

“ I am honored to receive this award from the Bibenda Guide, directed by the “ dean of wine” Franco Ricci, for Il Ruchè Riserva Il Fondatore. This recognition arouses a particular emotion in me due to the strong bond with my grandfather, head of the family and founder of Montalbera. Il Fondatore not only represents a powerful and sumptuous expression of Ruchè, but also a tribute to the visionary history and rich winemaking heritage of Montalbera and this important award gives it further value. The tribute to Enrico Riccardo Morando , to our history and to our roots. Proud to have had the confirmation, after the assignment of the 5 Grappoli in the 2024 edition to Limpronta 2020, of this important recognition that I welcome with infinite satisfaction and great emotion ” says Franco Morando, CEO and General Manager of Montalbera.

Franco Morando was one of the proponents of the reform of the Ruchè disciplinary statute in 2013, which discussed the “novelty of the mention Riserva”. Montalbera was one of the first companies to experiment with the refinement of the Ruchè grape variety in wood , first with “LIMPRONTA” and then with “IL FONDATORE” adding the indication RISERVA to the wine label.

The Fondatore is refined in French oak barrels , second or third passage, for approximately 10-12 months and presents a powerful and characteristic flavour on the palate, with great persistence.

Ruby red in color with garnet reflections, “Il Fondatore” brings with it an intense aroma, with aromatic hints and hints of berries, which sinuously fade into oriental spices and black pepper . Fresh and silky, with a full consistency and pure expression of the native Monferrato grape. The production amounts to 9,500 bottles of 0.75 l and 95 Magnums of 1.5 l, numbers that present a further tribute to Enrico Riccardo Morando, who passed away at the venerable age of 95.

The Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOCG Riserva 2021 “Il Fondatore” was awarded 110 cum laude also by the world-class wine expert Wine Killer Luca Gardini , the assignment of the “Gold Medal” Winehunter Award 2024 led by Helmuth Koecher and the Corona Vinibuoni di Italia 2025, listed among the TOP 300, the best wines selected by the national curators of the Guide. The international rise for Montalbera also continues, with “Il Fondatore” being the object of numerous awards such as the 90 points of James Suckling , one of the most famous American wine critics, and 96 points from Forbes by Tom Mullen.

For the first time, ONAV is hosting Gérard Liger – Belair, professor of physics at the University of Reims, considered the world’s greatest expert on bubbles and the only one specializing in those of Champagne.

Who is Gérard LIGER-BELAIR After studying basic physics at the University of Paris, he was appointed Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Reims in 2007.

The effervescence of a bubble of Champagne or sparkling wine is not only an aesthetic or sonic pleasure, but also a scientific marvel that embodies the extraordinary complexity of fluid mechanics in a few centiliters of wine. It will be discussed on October 26 in Asti, from 10:00 to 16:30 at the headquarters of ONAV Nazionale (Piazza Santa Maria Nuova, 5) on the occasion of “A World of Bubbles ”, a one-of-a-kind seminar, which for the first time in Italy will host the physicist Gérard Liger – Belair, researcher at the University of Reims, the capital of Champagne. It will be a real journey into physics, chemistry and oenology to discover how bubbles are formed, what role they play in the organoleptic characteristics of a wine and what influences them; a rigorous approach to a theme considered by most to be purely hedonistic, very dear to ONAV, which since its foundation has promoted knowledge of wine through solid scientific bases.

The meeting will allow us to understand the movement of bubbles and the mechanisms they induce during tasting, discovering the stages that mark their existence, from formation to disappearance. We will understand whether the type of cork in the stopper influences their formation, whether they have an effect on the flavor of the drink, how aromas spread in the air and much more. With his team of researchers, Gérard Liger-Belair has been studying for over twenty years the physical and chemical processes that cause the formation, rising in the glass and bursting of bubbles in champagne and sparkling wines.

The course features three modules : “The Odyssey of a Champagne Bubble”, “Effervescence in Champagne: A Centuries-Old Story” and “The Crucial Role of Crown Corks in Secondary Sparkling Wine”, and will alternate theoretical lessons with tastings of three Champagnes: Bulles de craie Brut SA, Clos Cazals 2013, Clos Cazals 2003, all from the Champagne Cazals cellar.

In addition to the lecture by Professor Liger – Belair, there will be contributions by Daniela Guiducci, co-translator into Italian of the latest volume by Professor Liger-Belair, and Virginie Thollin, a Champagne oenologist.

A September full of events for the Valpolicella Producers Association, also busy with the grape harvest, a crucial phase in wine production.

As announced at Vinitaly, the program focusing on the German-speaking market for the autumn activities of Famiglie Storiche continues. The format that includes the Masterclass “Amarone Fine and Contemporary: exploring elegance in 2009 and 2019 vintages” and a walk around tasting, in fact, has been successfully exported to Switzerland and Germany . The two events, held on September 16 in Zurich and September 17 in Hamburg , saw the Famiglie Storiche association present itself to journalists and industry professionals, in collaboration with the magazines Vinum and Falstaff respectively. «Paying attention to Amarone means discovering a contemporary and refined wine, worthy of being considered a true “fine wine” – says president Pierangelo Tommasi – The German-speaking market is a very important reference. Switzerland is an important market for high-quality and collectible wines such as Amarone, thanks to its sophisticated winemaking culture and high purchasing power; Germany is a historically important market for Valpolicella wines, where Amarone remains known and appreciated for its unique history and contemporary style. The format, which includes the tasting of 13 Amarones , one for each historic family, to compare different expressions of the most famous wine of Valpolicella ten years apart, was warmly welcomed: both in Zurich , at the AMmeron Zürich Bellerive au Lac , and in Hamburg , at the Factory Hammerbrooklyn , in fact, the places for the masterclass were all sold out. Afterwards, the walk-around tastings involved buyers, operators in the sector and also the public in the final part of the events. Each winery offered three references of the denomination for tasting: in addition to Amarone, also Valpolicella, Valpolicella Ripasso and Recioto . The calendar does not end with the German trip, but also includes an important event on Monday 30 September with an incoming dedicated to the HoReCa world: restaurateurs and wine merchants from Lombardy will be guests at Villa Quaranta , on the hills of Valpolicella, and at the Antica Bottega del Vino in Verona. In this case, in collaboration with Nicola Frasson , a journalist for Gambero Rosso , the Amarone of 3 decades will be presented (the 1990s, early 2000s and the latest vintages). It will be a journey to discover how the style of Amarone has evolved over the years, remaining faithful to tradition, but always with an eye on contemporaneity. A truly intense month therefore for the association, also busy with the crucial phases of the 2024 harvest , characterized by high temperatures, with a particularly hot August that slowed down the phenological activity of the vine, causing a delay in the ripening of the grapes. However, with the arrival of the rains in September and the consequent drop in temperatures, the situation has stabilized with a good temperature range, which now favors optimal ripening of the grapes. “Overall, the year can be considered average, despite the yields being rather low. As for the grapes intended for the production of Amarone , it will be necessary to wait for the end of the drying process to express a definitive judgment. The wines will certainly reflect our territory and the climatic season. The work carried out in the countryside, as always, was fundamental for the vine to best express its potential” , concludes Pierangelo Tommasi . With these activities, Famiglie Storiche continues to promote the excellence of Amarone in strategic markets, strengthening the link between tradition and vision that characterizes its wines, with constant attention to the quality and authenticity of territorial roots.

from the collaboration with the CRISBA Research Center a new ecotypic yeast.

This is a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisae that the Research Center of the Institute of Grosseto has selected starting from the Sangiovese grapes from the Vigna Benefizio vineyard , located in the town of Preselle (Scansano, Grosseto). The project was conducted with the students of class 5A of the agricultural technician, Enology and Viticulture address, who throughout the school year characterized the microorganism, both from a genetic and technological point of view. The CRISBA, in collaboration with the CREA (Research Center for Viticulture and Enology) of Asti, has verified the potential of the strain, which shows a good fermentative power and tolerates well the lack of readily assimilable nitrogen. These and other positive properties have made it suitable to continue the winemaking tests on a real scale and it has been used by the Grosseto cooperative for a fermentation test on 200 hectolitres of must.

“As a winery – explains Benedetto Grechi , President of Cantina Vignaioli Morellino di Scansano – we believe in science, innovation and progress and for this reason we were very pleased to collaborate with the CRISBA research center, giving students the opportunity to test themselves with a concrete case. The hope is that thanks to this selection of yeasts made directly in our vineyards we will be able to further enhance the expression of our territory”.

“The collaboration with Cantina Vignaioli Morellino di Scansano – continues Professor Lorenzo Moncini – has allowed us to remain faithful to one of the founding principles of CRISBA: carrying out research together with students and at the service of the territory. The students have had the opportunity to try their hand at teaching based on the scientific method and aimed at offering a concrete service to one of the most important entities in the Italian wine scene. Furthermore, by testing the yeast on a real scale, we had the immediate application of our experimental work. A privilege for those who do research, often accustomed to long times between laboratory evidence and their actual use”.

The project, which also involves Unioncamere, began in September 2023 and aims to identify those ecotypic yeasts that guarantee great technological reliability without, however, homologating the characteristics and sensory originality of the wine produced .