Oltretorrente

Chiara Penati and her husband Michele Conoscenti started Oltretorrente in 2010. After working for larger wineries in Piedmont, they decided to set up their own venture in the quiet village of Paderna, set in the hills of the Tortona region and more specifically the Colli Tortonesi DOC.

The estate sits at 300 metres with around five hectares extending over steep slopes. Much of the vineyard work is carried out by hand. Officially they pursue a regime of organic farming but there is a growing use of biodynamic methods as well.

In the cellar, macerations and ageing vary according to the conditions of the vintage. Generally however, white wines are bunch pressed and not de-stemmed while skin macerations and malolactic fermentations are avoided. The ambition for the reds is achieve a long, slow ripening period meaning regular late harvests. In the cellar they favour long macerations for a rich, fruit forward style.