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One of its kind in Italy, Villa Era vineyards are set in a large garden: the park of Villa Era, a XIX century jewel a few miles from Biella. A few years ago, Villa Era reopened its old cellar when the vineyards were replanted and revived. Villa Era has been, in fact, a winemaking estate since the mid-XVI century – two or three centuries ago it started producing great wines, mainly thanks to the particular soil made of sandy clay, gravel and fossil marlstone, not to mention the very favourable microclimate.

In 1935, the property was bought by the textile entrepreneur Ermanno Rivetti, who started producing the high-quality wine “Villa Era Spanna di Vigliano”, winner of many international awards until the 1980s.
After a long period of neglect, in 2006-2007 the vineyard, which extends over 2.5 acres on the hill behind the villa, was recovered by the current owner Silvia Rivetti: after thoroughly cleaning the area, she recovered and restored some ancient paths along with the original irrigation system fed by a spring on the hill. She also pruned and replanted the existing vines with over Nebbiolo, Vesplina, Coratina, and Barbera grape varieties.

The high value of these grapes mostly comes from the optimal exposure of the vineyard, on the hill of Vigliano: of Pliocene origins, it is covered with that particular layer of earth called “astiano”, consisting of sandy clay, gravel and fossil marlstone. The quality of the soil, the perfect sun exposure and the climate – particularly suitable for Nebbiolo, the main grape variety of this area of Piedmont – have contributed to the production of wines that have been historically celebrated and appreciated also abroad.

The wine initially called “Rondò” is still waiting to return to its historical denomination, therefore, “Villa Era” was reborn after the 2011 harvest: the vineyard was thus awarded the “Coste della Sesia Nebbiolo” Controlled Designation of Origin certification. This wine is obtained with hand-picked grapes, aged in small wood for 18 months and then in the bottle; it features a ruby red colour, with garnet tones and a fine elegant “bouquet” with floral and small red fruits notes combined with spicy ones, as well as the scent of fruits of the forest and of violets.
It’s elegant, fresh and round on the palate, with good intensity and tannic structure; its fruity aftertaste, combined with spicy notes, makes it particularly suitable for the local dishes.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)