Gianfranco Alessandria winery
Gianfranco Alessandria is a small family-owned winery that with the help of his wife Bruna, and his daughter Vittoria, continues the tradition begun two generations ago. After the death of his father in 1986, Gianfranco began the job of a farmer with 4 hectares of vineyards. Initially, the harvest was destined for sale on the market, then step by step slowly began to modernize the winery with machinery and equipment necessary in the winemaking process. Over the years, the production slowly increased, up to now produce about 50,000 bottles. The cellar owns 5,5 hectares of vineyards and rents 1 hectare, divided between Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Dolcetto, in the localit San Giovanni, which is situated in the area of some of Monforte's best-known Crus. All our vineyards have a south-east exposition, which allows us to produce wines of great structure, with freshness and elegance, and longevity. They work as biologically as possible only using minimal amounts of sulphur and Verderame (copper sulphate) out of respect for the environment as well as our own personal health. Since the beginning Gianfranco began with a drastic reduction in yields of grapes per hectare, which encouraged better ripening of the grapes, making them healthier and more robust to obtain a product of higher quality. The vinification is made with short maceration in temperature-controlled vertical fermenters. All the wines are aged in neutral oak, with the exception of the San Giovanni, which sees a small percentage of new barrels. Alessandria produces approximately 35,000 bottles of each vintage of stunning wines with great integrity.