Daytripping in the Monferrato: Costa dei Platani

We didn't have to go very far for this day trip. Right on the other side of Acqui from Regione Valloria is a beautiful ridge called Maggiore. Recently, friends had put us in contact with Carlo and Laura, who have a beautiful home and winery called Costa dei Platani .We heard they make fabulous Barbera. In our search for which there is no goal other than to enjoy wine, we were interested. So, we made arrangements to go and taste some wine yesterday evening.

As Italian hospitality would have it, what started as as simple wine tasting ended up as a lovely dinner, outside on their breathtaking property. With a little over 8 acres, Laura and Carol produce only a few, but absolutely excellent wines. Their Barbera, named Maggiore after the ridge on which they live, is a lightly wooded, wonderfully smooth wine. Carlo is absolutely passionate about his wines --it exudes from every pore of his being.

From the Barbera we ascended into Albarossa, which as few know, is an experimental wine of this region. It is a hybrid cross of the Nebbiolo and the Barbera Grape. There are only a handful of winemaker growing this grape, which has been in this experimental phase since about 2000. We are blessed to have this be the third Albarossa we are tasting directly at the vineyard. It is an extremely smooth version, with the fullness and indigo color one expects from this particular grape. Slightly higher in tannin than Barbera, it can have an alcohol percentage of 15 percent.

The last wine we tried was their Monferrato Rosso. Rossi are always blends, like the Super Tuscans. If it is a Langhe Rosso, it is a blend from the Langhe. Likewise, a Monferrato Rosso is a blend from the Monferrato. Carlo and Laura's blend is Barbera, Cabernet Savignon, and Merlot. This is a very smooth, full bodied wine which was my personal favorite.

They bought this property in 2000 and finished renovating and planting in 2001. It was a huge project, and one which we could emotionally relate to on many levels. They really only make the wines they want to, at the quality level they deem as correct, something which we respect. They are consumate hosts and we were very happy to have made their acquaintance.

This is another example of the depth of this area. This winery is literally 7 minutes from our door and it took us four years to discover them!