Luigi Spertino - Piemonte

Located in the small village of Mombercelli in the Asti region of Piemonte, the Luigi Spertino estate covers a total of 12 hectares and produces roughly 40,000 bottles annually.

Luigi Spertino has often been dubbed the “master of Barbera” and it comes as no surprise since his Barberas are without a doubt the best we’ve ever tasted. Luigi was also one of the few select winemakers who helped save the native Grignolino grape from extinction in the 1970s. Today, his Grignolino is considered to be one of the finest examples of the varietal.

Although his family has owned vineyards and produced wine in Asti since the 19th century, Luigi’s career started off in the world of restauration. While working at two of Torino’s most prestigious restaurants, he realized that he wanted to craft wines deserving of a place on the best tables in Piemonte. As such, he decided to start making wine with his family’s grapes and to bottle them with his own label. In an era where environmental concern hadn’t even become a reality, Luigi Spertino always advocated that wine “ought to be made with the greatest respect for the natural environment”.

Although the estate’s wines don’t carry organic certification, they meet European organic standards. No fertilizers or pesticides are used in the vineyard and the estate practices biodynamic farming. In fact, no tractors or machinery of any sorts are allowed to enter the vineyards. The Spertino family believes that heavy machinery adversely affects the top layer of soil in vineyards and removes the soils micro-elements, making the soil poorer overall.

As such, all pruning, harvesting and biodynamic treatments are carried out by humans only.

Although Luigi started the winery in the 1970s, his son Mauro helped bring it to new heights when the latter took over in 2003. Despite being in his nineties, Luigi is still very much involved in the winery, lending a helping hand wherever he can. 

Perhaps his most iconic wine from the estate is Barbera “La Mandorla” named after the vineyard where it finds its origin. The grapes are late harvested and then air-dried for a month to concentrate sugars even more. The resulting wine is one that has redefined the limits of Barbera and introduced a new standard.

Mauro is a deeply philosophical man who continues to evolve. Some of his most recent creations include an orange wine called Cortese Vilet, an amphora aged Grignolino called Margherita Barbera a méthode classique Blanc de Noirs sparkling wine made from Pinot Noir grapes and finally, what we believe to be Italy’s best Vermouth, his Belle Époque.

We are so proud to be the exclusive importers of Luigi Spertino in Quebec.