# Sphegodes (Forteto della Luja)

> Sparkling, Alta Langa DOCG by [Forteto della Luja](https://ilvinobello.com/wineries/forteto-della-luja.md), Asti, Piemonte, Italy. From Il Vino Bello (https://ilvinobello.com/wines/forteto-della-luja-sphegodes).

- **Producer:** Forteto della Luja
- **Style:** Sparkling
- **Denomination:** Alta Langa DOCG
- **Grape:** Pinot Nero
- **Production area:** Loazzolo, Langa Astigiana
- **Soil:** Calcareous sand and marl
- **Vineyard planting:** Hillside above 400 m, short Guyot; Pinot Nero farmed by hand, organically and without pesticides
- **Vinification:** Hand-picked Pinot Nero is gently pressed and vinified as a white wine using only the free-run juice, fermented with house yeasts and cold-stabilised over winter. Bottled for the second fermentation in spring under a waxing moon, then aged 30 months on the lees. Riddled and disgorged by hand, with no added sugar (pas dosé). 13% alcohol, under 2 g/l residual sugar.
- **Storage:** Suited to ageing
- **Last updated:** 2026-09-25



## Summary

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.

## Tasting notes

Straw yellow with a fine, persistent mousse. Redcurrant and violet on the nose. Fresh, dry, fruity and savoury.

## Food pairings

Aperitif, first courses without tomato, white meat, seafood and fresh cheeses.