Ghio Roberto

There are corners of Italy where geography seems to delight in blurring borders, creating unique territories unlike anywhere else. One of these places is Bosio, a small village nestled in the Alto Monferrato, where the Ghio family has been cultivating vines since as far back as 1881. A glance at the map reveals that we are in the highest part of both the Gavi and Ovada areas, but above all in the stretch of Piedmont closest to the Ligurian Sea. Today the winery is led by Roberto Ghio, who carries forward a family tradition spanning seven generations with a very clear vision: to produce wines far removed from fleeting trends and standardised tastes. Roberto’s philosophy is that of a meticulous craftsman. In the vineyard, organic farming is practised with a strict “zero tolerance” policy towards herbicides, while in the cellar human intervention is reduced to the bare minimum, with extremely limited use of sulphur dioxide in order to preserve the purity, healthiness and authenticity of the fruit. The estate’s 24 hectares of vineyards extend across soils where three prestigious appellations overlap: Gavi, Ovada and Alta Langa. The southernmost vineyards, located at around 800 metres above sea level, are among the highest in all southern Piedmont, a condition that gives the wines vibrant freshness and an almost saline savouriness, echoing the nearby sea. While Cortese is undoubtedly the star grape for producing elegant and mineral-driven Gavi wines, the real curiosity of this winery lies in its determination to rescue ancient and almost forgotten grape varieties from oblivion. A fascinating example is Caricalasino, a local grape that Ghio vinifies with pride, alongside Nibiö, an ancient Dolcetto biotype with a red stalk that produces reds of great character and remarkable longevity.