List of products by supplier La Biòca

Imagine the gentle hills of the Langhe, an endless succession of vineyards stretching as far as the eye can see, interrupted here and there by small villages, guardians of precious, neatly ordered rows whose colours change with every season. Imagine the precious clusters of grapes, the fruit of the Earth and of the work of so many people who firmly believe, despite every adversity, that it is possible to produce authentic wines capable of stirring equally authentic emotions in the fortunate taster! The Langhe is a rich and fortunate land where, for many wineries, viticulture is a way of life. Among them, a few years ago, I discovered one, young and lively, called "La Biòca", which in the Piedmontese dialect means "stubborn" — a bit like the elderly farmers who, strengthened by their experience and determination, do not bend to life's adversities 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 agricultural business but with a great heritage stemming from its ten hectares of vineyards, mostly owned outright, situated in some of the most important production areas for this region's great wines, including a small vineyard in the Roero for the production of Roero Arneis DOCG. The passion of those who work there, in the vineyards and in the cellar, is remarkable, 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, to the more prestigious Barolo and Barbaresco and their limited-production Crus, 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 terracotta amphorae, or their intriguing rosé sparkling wine produced using the Martinotti method from Freisa and Barbera grapes, plus a portion 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, in full respect of 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 brought to the cellar, where they are further hand-selected by four people before pressing! I believe very few wineries adopt this method. The various stages of vinification and ageing then follow, assisted by their highly skilled oenologist. The result is wines that come across as "clean" right from the start, 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 with a tasting room, where I sampled all the wines for you!