Giuseppe Valente

Between the Langhe and Monferrato, the Azienda Agricola Fea was founded in Calosso in 1960 by Chiarera Giuliano, who passed on his attachment and love for this land and its products to his son-in-law, Valente Giuseppe. Taken over in 1990, the company was expanded from 4 hectares to the current 12, diversifying its production and refining the quality of its wines. The family-run company produces around 12,000 bottles a year, among which the Gamba di Pernice stands out, a native wine with spicy hints reminiscent of green pepper produced only in the municipality of Calosso and the Piemonte Moscato Passito. 

The range of Azienda Agricola Fea's wines is composed of Barbera Asti Superiore, Barbera d’Asti, Freisa d’Asti Superiore, Langhe Nebbiolo, Piemonte Moscato Passito, and Calosso DOC.

CALOSSO DOC:
Ancient history, documented, a grape variety studied by illustrious ampelographers and important researchers, passionate winegrowers in 'Unesco Heritage' lands, determined producers who infect you with their enthusiasm and true optimism. Then the wine speaks: sight, smell, taste give an incredible pleasantness. At the end, when intense aromatic perceptions remain in the mouth. Then it becomes all too evident how important the quality factor a territory with a very high vocation and a fine grape variety.

VINEYARDS:
Calosso is a small Italian commune of 1,263 inhabitants in the province of Asti, Piedmont. It stands on a high hill whose name derives from the Roman Callocius or Callucius. It is located not far from the municipalities of Canelli and Costigliole d'Asti, between the Nizza and Tinella valleys. The current diffusion of the Gamba di pernice vine is limited almost exclusively to the municipality of Calosso, even though it is cultivated in vineyards in Costigliole Asti and Castagnole Lanze.

Once also called pernicine a gamba rossa (red-legged partridge), this Asti cultivar has curiously been rediscovered in the Saluzzo area, specifically in Costigliole Saluzzo, under the name of 'Neretto degli alteni' in the 17th century. Count Nuvolone mentions it in 1708 in the work Ampelografia della provincia di Alessandria (De Maria e Leardi -1875), we find the first complete description of the vine. Finally, Dalmasso (1909) describes it with the synonyms of 'Gambarossa' and 'Pernicine'. From the little information handed down by local tradition, it appears that the current cultivation of 'Gamba di pernice' is said to have derived from a few buds 'stolen' by a certain Moiso, an inhabitant of the town of Asti, from the Cora nurserymen of Canelli at the beginning of the 19th century.

The name is obviously linked to the color of the stalk. It is reminiscent of a bird's leg. The shape, too, I would say almost hooked. The name derives from the fact that raspores before the onset of veraison are bright red, reminiscent of the little legs of the partridges that roam the vineyards at that time. The color in August turns brown. The end of the shoots is also red in the summer months. Of medium vigor, it has a late vegetative cycle. Elderly people remember harvests around 20 - 25 October.

WINEMAKING:
Cellar practices do not differ from classic red wine making for grapes with good phenolic richness. However, Gamba di pernice is also an aromatic variety, so floating cap fermentations are carried out for about 10 days, followed by short macerations of 7 to 8 days in order to extract the phenolic matter from the solid parts. The wine is generally stored in steel tanks; some producers find it useful to use wood: medium-sized barrels or second or third passage barriques. For short periods: 9 - max 12 months.

By law, "Calosso DOC" is allowed to be sold 20 months after the harvest, if with the indication "Vigna" or "Riserva", the period is longer (30 months). Everyone agrees on the evolutionary potential: particularly in great vintages, with well-ripened and healthy grapes, it is a wine of great evolution.

THE TASTING:
Calosso DOC has a beautiful violet color, tending towards ruby-garnet with the passage of time. The bouquet is always intense and elegant - it is initially fruity, a few months later it deviates towards the well-known spicy rotundone (peppery aroma) that characterizes Calosso DOC.

A special name for a red wine with equally special aromas and flavors. Varietal grown in the municipality of Calosso (AT). The natural tannicity makes this wine particularly dry and allows a long ageing period of over 12-15 years, which increasingly highlights its characteristic spicy note reminiscent of green pepper. It is a well-balanced and smooth wine with a good structure, appreciated for its hints of violets, fruity cherry and berries combined with hints of spices and green pepper. It is pleasant on any occasion and lends itself well to its finesse and its ability to make the mouth feel dry when paired with hot appetizers, game, and especially with cheeses, even mature and flavorsome ones.