Forti del Vento

Forti del Vento is an artisanal winery in Piedmont, in the region of Ovada, producing natural wines with minimal intervention and no additives, mostly from native grapes. Forti del Vento (“strengthened by the wind”), is a name inspired by the castles of the northern part of the Monferrato region in Piedmont, and the winds that blow on the rolling hills of Castelletto D’Orba. The name is also a reflection of the strong passion that guides Marco Tacchino and Tomaso Armento, lifelong friends who run the winery. They are joined by Marco's life partnet, Manuela, who also runs a family restaurant. All of them come from wine-loving families and They inherited the passion from their grandparents, which now guides them to farm vineyards and make wines using biodynamic principles. Their 5 hectares (13 acres) are certified organic, planted on hilly terrain at about 300 meters (900 feet) above sea level, following the level lines perpendicular to the slope of the hill. They benefit from textbook exposure (south, southeast) and enjoy the ideal stage for cultivation using ancient methods. The grass in the rows, a natural method to combat the erosive action of the rains, promotes the balance of substances necessary to the soil, and increase insects and biodiversity. Marco, Manuela and Tomaso have worked hard to restore and recover old Dolcetto vineyards, some of them with rows arranged on light terracing on which the vines grow. The other grapes they grow are Barbera, Cortese, Chardonnay, Albarossa and  last but not least is Nibiö, an ancestor of the historical Dolcetto grape that was only grown in small parts of the Alessandria province and that was at risk of extinction due to its low productivity. The yare dedicated to the VinNatur method of vinifictaion with only one rule in the cellar: "Do not remove or add anything to the wine and let it be the expression of the vineyard." Fermentation takes place in an old country house where Forti del Vento works with stainless steel tanks in a controlled temperature environment, as well as in amphoras to preserve the evolution of indigenous yeasts. In addition to that, there is an old underground cellar, where they keep the (used) wooden barrels for wine aging. They occasionally replace the oldest barrel in rotation to make sure that the aging wine fully reflects their “natural” winemaking philosophy. “In our wines you find our way of being and thinking. We like to be wine growers, but also drink good wine. Our goal is to bring the taster back to everything that is behind the wine: work, respect for the place, and the vine it comes from.”   –  Forti del Vento