In the heart of the famous Italian DOCG region of Gavi, Villa Sparina shows that a winery can act as an ambassador for its homeland in many ways. On the one hand, through wines that speak for themselves - but also through a resort that invites you to discover the wine and its place of origin."We like everything that revolves around the world of wine: sales, marketing, development and business relations. If you study this world in depth, you can learn something new every day," say the Moccagatta siblings in unison. Together they manage this world of the vinophile family brand Villa Sparina in the Italian wine-growing region of Piedmont. The nucleus of the brand comes first: "When we think of our company, the first word that comes to mind is family. Because that's where it all started once upon a time. It was the father of the three siblings - Stefano, who today looks after marketing, sales and the management of the restaurant, Massimo as administrator and manager, and Tiziana, who looks after the hotel and events - who took over the winery in 1974 and 30 years later, with the opening of the associated resort, brought the Villa Sparina brand to a whole new level of experience for gourmets and holidaymakers. Nevertheless, the 100-hectare vineyard in the municipality of Monterotondo remains the beloved centrepiece. Because capturing and telling the aromatic message of the DOCG Gavi in wines is the greatest passion of the Moccagatta family.
The basis for this is the exquisite grapes from the Cortese grape varieties - the absolute front-runner in the list of varieties - as well as Barbera, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Dolcetto. Most of the family's vineyards are located in the immediate vicinity of the Villa Sparina Resort, surrounded by woods, blown by the gentle Ligurian breeze and kissed by the pleasantly warming sun. So it is no wonder that viticulture has always been part of the tradition of this area and the life of the people here, because the conditions are almost ideal. One more reason for the siblings not to let anything destroy this perfect foundation and therefore also to work in harmony with nature. "We make wine because we grew up in a family that carries this heritage. Therefore, we have also carried out numerous renovations and expansions in recent years, focusing on environmental sustainability and acquiring special tools and equipment to expand the variety and level in the vineyard as well as in the wine cellar," Stefano Moccagatta proudly tells us.
This special attention comes into play at many moments. It is also evident in the special, patented wine bottle in which Villa Sparina's wines are bottled - and which has long since become the winery's trademark. "We developed it in 1997 together with the designer Giacomo Bersanetti, who was inspired by an antique vase found during the renovation of the winery." In it now also rests a very special wine, to which the family gives extra time - true to their motto: "To be good, a wine must be elegant and long-lasting." So, as the name suggests, they let the Villa Sparina 10 mature in the bottle for ten years: "This collector's wine with great personality is a project for the future. We only produce it in limited quantities and have already put it on the market twice now." It is also a sign that the siblings combine wine with creativity and the courage to do something special. And with a passion that they were born with - and that they are all too happy to share with visitors.
We cordially invite you to get to know this great winery and the 2022 Villa Sparina Gavi at our German-language wein.plus:club online tasting 'Grillweine - weiß oder rot?' in July 2023. Places available for wine professionals and private wine fans are very limited.
You can also order this wine from the online shops listed in wein.plus:find+buy.