Imagine the gentle hills of the Langhe, an endless succession of vineyards as far as the eye can see, interrupted here and there by small villages, guardians of precious and orderly rows of vines whose colours change with every season. Imagine the precious grape clusters, the fruit of the Land and of the work of so many people who believe, despite every adversity, that it is possible to produce authentic wines, capable of stirring equally authentic emotions in the fortunate taster! The Langhe are rich and fortunate lands where, for many wineries, winemaking is a reason for living. Among them, a few years ago, I discovered one, young and lively, called "La Biòca", which in Piedmontese dialect means "stubborn", a bit like the elderly farmers who, drawing on their experience and willpower, do not bend to the adversities of life and always keep going their own way! Its logo is a charming hedgehog, just like the ones often found in their vineyards! The winery, which produces around 50 000 bottles a year with low yields per hectare, is located in Piedmont, in Serralunga d'Alba, in the Fontanafredda area, between Barolo and Novello. A small farming reality but with a great heritage, stemming from its ten hectares of vineyards, largely owned, located in the most important production areas for the great wines of this region, including a small vineyard in Roero for the production of Roero Arneis DOCG. Great is the passion of those who work there, in the vineyards and in the cellar, pursuing every day the goal, I would say now achieved, of offering a range of high-quality wines ranging from classics such as Nebbiolo D'Alba, Barbera D'Alba and Dolcetto, up to the more prestigious Barolo and Barbaresco and their limited-production Cru, but also including some wines made from native and rare grape varieties such as "Rossese Bianco", or particular vinification methods, as used for the production of their intriguing "Favorosa", a Vermentino grape variety partially vinified using the "orange" method, meaning maceration and fermentation on the skins followed by ageing in American oak barrels. Or the Nebbiolo aged in a terracotta amphora, or their intriguing rosé sparkling wine produced with the Martinotti method from Freisa and Barbera grapes, and also a part of the rare Pelaverga. All the wines are produced from the finest grapes grown in the vineyards of Monforte D'Alba, Cru "Bussìa" (Barolo DOCG area), San Sebastiano di Monforte D'Alba, "Castagni" Cru of La Morra (Barolo DOCG area), "Croera" (La Morra), Cru "Ravera" of Novello for Barolo DOCG, Barbaresco Cru "Ronchi" and "Secondine" for Barbaresco DOCG, and Montà D'Alba for Roero Arneis DOCG. For La Biòca, growing vines with the lowest possible environmental impact has always been a priority, fully respecting tradition and without the use of synthetic products. One of the things that pleasantly surprised me was seeing the attention and great care taken during the harvest. Whether it's Nebbiolo for Barolo or Dolcetto, all the grape clusters are carefully selected in the vineyard and placed in small crates that are immediately taken to the cellar, where they are further selected by hand by four people before pressing! I believe there are truly very few wineries that adopt this method. The various stages of vinification and ageing follow, assisted by their excellent oenologist. The result is finding oneself, right from the start, in the presence of "clean" wines, both on the nose and on the palate, where typicity is perfectly harmonised with the various nuances and expressions of the different terroirs. La Biòca is also a B&B and tasting room where I sampled all the wines for you!