About Giulio Cocchi Spumanti Srl

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Cocchi has produced wine-based aperitifs and traditional Piemontese sparkling wines since 1891. Since 1978, the company has been owned and operated by the Bava Family, themselves renowned producers of sparkling wine in Monferrato and Langhe. Giulio Cocchi was a young and creative pastry chef from Florence, where he worked in a popular bar located in Piazza del Duomo. In the late nineteenth century he moved to Asti, a small but lively town in northwest Italy, not far from Torino, and established himself as a distiller and winemaker. His Barolo Chinato, Aperitivo Americano and vermouths became well known during the Belle Epoque and the Italian Futurist period. By 1913 there were twelve Cocchi tasting Bars in Piemonte. Today the winery maintains its artisan character and follows Giulio’s original recipes to craft the distinctive wines that have made Cocchi a cult name worldwide. In the last 30 years, Cocchi has revived the forgotten wine categories Barolo Chinato and Vermouth di Torino. It was also a leader in establishing the appellation Alta Langa DOCG for traditional Piemontese spumante. Full details

About Alta Langa DOCG

With a sparkling wine history that extends back to the mid-19th century, the Alta Langa DOCG is Italy’s premier — if also least well-known — appellation for methodo classico, champagne-style sparkling wine. Classic brut and brut rosé are made exclusively from Chardonnay and Pinot Nero; brut zero and extra brut versions are produced as well. The grapes are hand-harvested from steep, terraced vineyards at altitudes above 250 meters south of the Tanaro River. Soils are calcario: the limestone/clay marl that the region is famous for. Never chaptalized, Alta Langa is aged for a minimum of 30 months on the lees — 36 months for its reservas — prior to disgorgement. Production remains small and artisanal in character: In 2011, the appellation released just 650,000 bottles (compared to Franciacorta’s 6.7 and Champagne’s 300 million annual averages). Only vintage wines can be bottled under its aegis, making the Alta Langa DOCG one of the most stringent sparkling wine appellations in the world.