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Few red wines have as attractive a bouquet as the Ruche di Castagnole Monferrato from Montalbera. Excuse the long name, it’s necessary for the official appellation and quality status, but this is simply a red wine made from the Ruchè grape in the small township of Castagnole Monferrato! Roses, violets and wild strawberry juice jump out of the glass after a soft swirl, calling you to dive in for a taste. Rarely do we smell such floral, perfumed and frankly pretty aromas coming out of a red wine. Don’t be deceived by the light colour or ethereal tones though, this Ruchè has depth and structure. The palate is round and warming, a medium body with notes of macerated cherries, dried rose petals, orange oil, white pepper and crushed mint. It has a wonderful freshness that goes hand in hand with the juicy core and seamlessly smooth finish that will have you straight back for another sip. Look closely and you’ll notice many flavours, or just sit back and let this slip down as it will so easily. Read More
Few red wines have as attractive a bouquet as the Ruche di Castagnole Monferrato from Montalbera. Excuse the long name, it’s necessary for the official appellation and quality status, but this is simply a red wine made from the Ruchè grape in the small township of Castagnole Monferrato! Roses, violets and wild strawberry juice jump out of the glass after a soft swirl, calling you to dive in for a taste. Rarely do we smell such floral, perfumed and frankly pretty aromas coming out of a red wine. Don’t be deceived by the light colour or ethereal tones though, this Ruchè has depth and structure. The palate is round and warming, a medium body with notes of macerated cherries, dried rose petals, orange oil, white pepper and crushed mint. It has a wonderful freshness that goes hand in hand with the juicy core and seamlessly smooth finish that will have you straight back for another sip. Look closely and you’ll notice many flavours, or just sit back and let this slip down as it will so easily.
Thanks to the soft tannins, smooth persona, medium body and floral aromatics in this 100% Ruchè wine, it will be a great match to Chinese spices, even the more perfumed Thai dishes. Make sure there is structure to the food though, we think crispy aromatic duck would be a cracking pair. All of the grapes for this Piedmontese red wine are hand-picked and the skins are left in contact with the wine for 10-12 days, transmitting all of the delicate, floral aromas. A time in stainless steel follows, with everything being done to preserve the aromatic purity of the Ruchè.
Ruchè is an incredibly rare grape variety that is only found in this tiny area of Piedmont, northwest Italy. On the rolling hills surrounding Monferrato, where Italy’s hazelnuts are grown, the Montalbera family winery dedicate most of their production to this alluring grape. With just over 80 hectares of area under vine, Montalbera fly the flag for the Ruchè grape across the world. They also make a host of other varietally pure and expressive red wines.
If you’ve encountered the beguiling Ruchè grape variety in your wine journey to date, then you have probably come across the Montalbera winery based in Monferrato, Piedmont. If you haven’t then welcome, we’re excited for you to try this alluring red wine. Around these rolling hills in the Asti province of Piedmont, Enrico’s Morrando’s family cultivate this incredibly rare and unique grape, Ruché. It is only found growing around the eight villages in this tiny area, where most of the agriculture is dedicated to the noble hazelnut (the Nutella factory is a matter of miles away!). Montalbera strive to allow their indigenous grape varieties to speak for themselves, doing little in the winery to mask the raw characteristics of their wonderful grapes.
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