Despite its importance today, the history of vine-growing in Gattinara is somewhat obscure. While there is evidence of Roman presence in the area in general, it is only in the medieval period that the town becomes prominent. The Marquis of Gattinara, Mercurino Arborio, politician, diplomat and latterly cardinal (b.1465, d. 1530), donated barrels of wine to the main European courts. In the same period, the vine features prominently in the decoration of the west front of the parish church of San Pietro in the centre of the town, which can still be seen today. In more recent times, writer and film director Mario Soldati had his characters eulogise the true wines of Gattinara in a collection of stories published in 1959. ‘A sip of Gattinara, as long as it is genuine, of course, I would not ask for more!’
The oldest winery still in production was founded by Luigi Nervi in 1906. It has since been owned by four Norwegian families and, since 2018, by Roberto Conterno of the highly regarded Giacomo Conterno in Monforte d’Alba. Shortly after Nervi’s founding, the town created the co-operative, Cantina Sociale Gattinara, in 1908, only the third such initiative in Italy.
Decoration on the west front of Gattinara’s church.
Gattinara DOCG is the largest of the Nebbiolo-focused specialist denominations in Alto Piemonte, with around 90 hectares in production. Its vineyards are to be found on one, well-exposed, south-east to the south-west facing slope above the village. The soils lie above porphyry and other rock of volcanic origin and can be extremely thin at higher elevations. Gattinara received DOC status in 1967 and became a DOCG in 1990.
The grapes must be grown, and the wine must be made and aged in the single town of Gattinara. The wines must be made with between 90 and 100 per cent Nebbiolo grapes, with a maximum yield for standard and riserva wines of 56 hectolitres per hectare. Where they are used, the other permitted grapes are Vespolina (with a maximum of 4 per cent) and Uva Rara. In practice, today, most wines are 100 per cent Nebbiolo. The standard wine must be aged for a minimum of 36 months before release, of which a minimum of 24 months must be in wood. This is increased to 47 months and 36 months for riserva wines.
