UNESCO World
Heritage Site
Languorous locales, rife with unforgettable nuances. Noble hills that are home to precious fruit. Captivatingly sinuous, a link between past and present, tradition and innovation. Lands where vines of Moscato Bianco grow, destined to develop into Asti Spumante, from Brut Nature to Dolce, and Moscato d’Asti: two declinations that combine to compose the Asti Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin.
This is the area of Langhe, Roero and Monferrato, home to great wines and singularly beautiful landscapes that remain fixed in the memories of those who appreciate them.
THE LANDSCAPE
THE HILLS OF THE SOUL
Langhe, Roero and Monferrato
Nearly 9.900 hectares of majestic vineyards nestled in the cradle of an inimitable landscape that never fails to stir the soul. From the earliest days, farmers have had to learn to know its shape and adapt to its sinuosity: in order to work the land well, it had to be respected. And so it was. The Langhe, with their tall, pronounced hills, stood out for the soil, composed mostly of limestone marls and sandstone. The Monferrato and Roero are instead crossed by more gentle, lower hills, with soil alternating more between clay marls and sand.
Blessed with an ideal position, between the Ligurian coast and the Alps, Langhe, Monferrato and Roero enjoy an ideal climate, with rigorous winters followed by hot summers. This allows grapevines to flourish under ideal conditions, letting the grapes express their aromatic properties to the fullest.
UNESCO World Heritage Site
In June 2014, the vineyard landscapes of Langhe, Roero and Monferrato were awarded World Heritage status by UNESCO. Among the six “components” – the areas that constitute the UNESCO core zone – Asti Spumante and the Underground Cathedrals of Canelli are most representative of the interaction between the land and the hand of man, resulting in a unique panorama of vineyards nourished and shaped over the years by the unflagging efforts of the vine tenders.
THE VARIETAL
A FEATHER IN THE CAP OF THE PIEDMONT REGION
Moscato Bianco grapes find their promised land in Langhe, Monferrato and Roero. Recognized the world over as a great Italian varietal, for centuries now its roots have taken hold in the hills of a region that has ennobled it and made it unique. Its story speaks for itself and makes it, in every sense, a great autochthonous Piedmontese varietal.
“CASA DELL’ASTI”
THE CONSORZIO’S HEADQUARTERS
Gastaldi Palace
In piazza Roma, in the historic center of Asti, stands Palazzo Gastaldi, known as the “Casa dell’Asti” (the House of Asti). Since 1965 it has been the Consorzio’s operational headquarters, a location emblematic of the area and the seat of a designation unlike any other: ASTI DOCG.
Designed in 1898 by Carlo Bensi, commissioned by Luigi Gastaldi, is it a prime example of the Art Nouveau style. With eclectic nuances of form shading towards Rococo, it was completed by Giuseppe Rizzola, a renowned painter from Canelli who worked for many years at the Quirinal Palace, in Rome. Even today, it exudes an atmosphere of days gone by, and its walls are graced by images of the past: its rooms contain posters and images of the first advertisements of the Asti spumante makers.
A location that perfectly embodies the tradition, history and elegance of its two iconic wines: Asti Spumante DOCG and Moscato d’Asti DOCG.