Castello del Poggio Moscato d’Asti
The estate lies entirely within the Monferrato area in the Province of Asti, one of Piedmonts finest wine zones. 80% of its vineyards are in the district of Portacomaro, whilst 20% are at Costigliole dAsti. The Monferrato is quite unlike any other viticultural region: here the vineyards alternate with woodland and fields, and there is great variation in the zones hillsides, even in the color of their soils.
The estate takes its name from the medieval stronghold that dominates it, and which once belonged to the noble Bunis family. Its northern part is today still referred to, in dialect, as the Val del Temp (which means Valley of the Temple) because the Templars had properties there, as testified by the Codex Astensis, the only authenticated record of events in Asti during the Middle Ages. The last surviving member of the Bunis family left the estate in his will to the Bishop of Acqui, who often summered there in the 18th century.
CLIMATE AND SOIL
Typically continental, with considerable differences between seasons and between day/night temperatures, the climate is influenced by the barrier that the Maritime Alps and the Ligurian Apennines place in the way of southwesterly winds. Humidity is relatively high. Snow falls and summer thunderstorms are frequent. The soils are a mixture of silt and clay evolved on top of older formations: the Clays of Lugagnano and the Sands of Asti.
THE VINEYARDS
The vine training system adopted here is the Guyot espalier, which has always been used in all of Piedmonts viticultural zones. The property covers 174 hectares (430 acres) in all, of which 158 hectares (390 acres) are vineyards in production in Portacomaro and in the hamlet of Santa Margherita di Costigliole dAsti.
CULTIVATION TECHNIQUES
Aimed at establishing an equilibrium between the vines and the grapes to guarantee high quality in the wines produced, these techniques have helped us discover that the estate not only a remarkable ability to produce red wines, but a definite aptitude for making white and sparkling wines as well.
