Colli Tortonesi · Winery · Curated profile
La Colombera
La Colombera is a family estate in Vho, near Tortona, run by Elisa Semino with her father Piercarlo and brother Lorenzo. The farm has been the Semino family's since Pietro and Maria first took the lease on the hillside cascina in 1938; Piercarlo later planted the vineyards, and in the 1990s he and Elisa were among the first five Colli Tortonesi producers to replant Timorasso, the white grape that had almost disappeared from the area after the war. Today the estate farms about 20 hectares on a mix of clay, sandstone and limestone soils, using only copper and sulphur in the vineyard and no herbicides. Timorasso, bottled as Derthona and the single-vineyard cru Il Montino, remains the house specialty, alongside Barbera, Croatina, Cortese and the local Nibiò variety.
The Colli Tortonesi lie in the far eastern corner of Piedmont, in the province of Alessandria, closer to Liguria than to the wine towns of Langhe and Roero.
At a glance
- Region
- Colli Tortonesi, Piemonte, Italy
- Address
- Strada Comunale Vho, 7, 15057 Tortona (AL)
- Winemaker
- Elisa Semino
- Tours
- Available
- Tastings
- Not listed
- Wines listed
- 8
- Website
- https://www.lacolomberavini.it/
Visits & tastings
Visits happen mostly on weekends: La Colombera opens its cellar in Vho on Saturday and Sunday mornings, with no need to book ahead. On weekdays, cellar and vineyard visits run by appointment, arranged at least a day in advance.
Tours
- Cellar and vineyard visit · about 1 h · ends with a tasting · price agreed directly with the winery
Good to know
- Sat 10:00 to 12:00 and 15:00 to 18:00, Sun 10:00 to 12:00, no booking needed
- Weekdays by appointment, at least a day ahead
- Cellar temperature is 10°C, dress warmly
- Payment by cash, credit card or bancomat
Contact
- +39 0131 867795
- info@lacolomberavini.it
- Strada Comunale Vho, 7, 15057 Tortona (AL)
Wines from La Colombera
- Archè: Colli Tortonesi DOC Croatina, Croatina 100%, Red. Archè is La Colombera's barrique-aged Croatina, from grapes vinified in purity, built for a few years of cellar rest.
- Bricco Bartolomeo: Colli Tortonesi DOC Cortese, Cortese 100%, White. Bricco Bartolomeo is La Colombera's 100% Cortese, straw yellow with floral and fruity notes; a dry, versatile white meant for the table.
- Derthona: Colli Tortonesi DOC Timorasso, Timorasso 100%, White. Derthona is La Colombera's Timorasso from the Colli Tortonesi, a long-lived white that can age over ten years; the cellar keeps older vintages back to 2006 for sale to restaurants and wine professionals.
- Elisa: Vino Rosso, Barbera 100%, Red. Elisa is La Colombera's barrel-aged Barbera from the estate's oldest vineyard. The producer names a Barbera after each woman of the Semino family, and buys a tractor when a son is born.
- Il Montino: Colli Tortonesi DOC Timorasso, Timorasso 100%, White. Il Montino is La Colombera's single-vineyard Timorasso, grown at 250 m on light and dark clayey soils; the producer describes it as the estate's most awarded wine.
- La Romba: Colli Tortonesi DOC Croatina, Croatina 100%, Red. La Romba is La Colombera's steel-aged Croatina, grown on dark clayey soils, vinified for early, fruity drinking.
- Suciaja: Vino Rosso, Nibiò, Red. Suciaja is La Colombera's wine from Nibiò, a local grape related to Dolcetto grown on clayey soils. The producer says it stands the test of time, changing character over about a decade in the cellar.
- Vegia Rampana: Vino Rosso, Barbera 100%, Red. Vegia Rampana ("old witch" in dialect) is La Colombera's steel-aged Barbera, grown on dark clayey soils and built to age, reaching its best around eight years after harvest.