Asti · Winery · Curated profile

Forteto della Luja

Forteto della Luja

Forteto della Luja is a family estate in Loazzolo, a hilltop village in the Langa Astigiana, a few kilometres from Canelli. The Novelli family worked this land from 1790 as farmhands of the Gancia counts, and Giancarlo Scaglione took over the farm in 1985. He revived the family Moscato passito, Piasa Rischei, which led to the Loazzolo DOC in 1992, the smallest municipal appellation in Italy. His son Giovanni, an eco-viticulturist, runs the estate today. The steep south-facing vineyards sit on calcareous marl and are farmed organically, and the stone cave cellar dates to the late 1700s. The estate is also a WWF-affiliated nature oasis.

At a glance

Region
Asti, Piemonte, Italy
Address
Regione Candelette 4, 14051 Loazzolo (AT)
Winemaker
Giovanni Scaglione
Tours
Available
Tastings
Available
Wines listed
7
Website
https://www.fortetodellaluja.it

Visits & tastings

The Wine Experience takes you through the WWF oasis, the vineyard and the old stone cellar, and ends with a tasting. Book ahead, although the shop is open every day.

Tours

  • Wine Experience · 1 h 30 · ends with a tasting of 3 or 4 wines

Good to know

  • By reservation for the experience, groups and small events on request
  • Wine shop open daily 10:30 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 18:00, a quick call ahead is appreciated

Contact

Wines from Forteto della Luja

  • Le Grive: Monferrato Rosso DOC, Barbera, Pinot Nero, Red. A Barbera and Pinot Nero blend named after the fieldfares (grive) that feed on the juniper berries around the vineyard during migration. Also in magnum and 37.5 cl.
  • Mon Ross: Barbera d'Asti DOCG, Barbera, Red. The estate's everyday Barbera d'Asti, made in the traditional way from old vines. Also in magnum.
  • Pasucrà: Piemonte Moscato Secco DOC, Moscato Bianco, White. The first DOC dry Moscato in Piemonte, released in 2020. Its dialect name means "not sweet", and it revives the old farmhouse tradition of sweet filtered Moscato that turned dry over the summer months.
  • Pian dei Sogni: Piemonte Brachetto Passito DOC, Brachetto, Sweet. A rare dried-grape Brachetto, sweet and aromatic, from high vineyards near Loazzolo. Local tradition says Barbera is for eating and Brachetto for singing. Sold in 37.5 cl bottles.
  • Piasa Rischei: Loazzolo DOC Vendemmia Tardiva, Moscato Bianco, Sweet. The wine that founded the estate's modern story: a late-harvest Moscato Passito revived in 1985 from the family's old recipe, which led to the creation of the Loazzolo DOC in 1992, the smallest municipal appellation in…
  • Piasa Sanmaurizio: Canelli DOCG, Moscato Bianco, Sweet. A gently sparkling sweet Moscato from the Canelli DOCG, the estate's take on the classic wine of its home hills.
  • Sphegodes: Alta Langa DOCG, Pinot Nero, Sparkling. A pas dosé traditional-method Alta Langa named after the small black Ophrys sphegodes orchid that grows wild among the estate's Pinot Nero vines, the emblem of its WWF oasis.