Production area:
Castagnole Monferrato, Montemagno (Piedmont).
Vineyard:
Low Guyot training system with 8–9 buds on the fruiting cane.
Grape variety:
Ruchè.
Vinification:
Traditional red wine vinification.
Ageing:
Maturation in stainless steel tanks.
Colour:
Vivid red with violet hues when young, tending towards garnet with ageing.
Aroma:
Intense, persistent, aromatic and fruity, with typical hints of rose petals and violets in its early years. Develops spicy notes over time.
Flavour:
Warm on the palate, harmonious, full-bodied and well-balanced with a slight tannic component.
Alcohol content:
14%
Extra Info:
Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOCG is a wine with an unmistakable character. It has pleasant, floral aromas of rose and violet, fruity notes of apricot, and spices that emerge as it ages, all of which combine to make the wine immediately recognizable in the glass.
Genesis
One hypothesis for the origins of Ruchè’s name is that it derives from “San Rocco”, a community of monks devoted to Saint Roch who introduced its cultivation in the zone. Others claim that the name derives from the Piedmontese word “roche” , meaning a vineyard cultivated in the rocky areas of Monferrato. The most likely hypothesis is that Ruchè comes from ancient vineyards of Haute-Savoy, an area located in the Rhône-Alpes region of eastern France. But what is certain is that this variety has found its home and expression of highest quality in the Monferrato.
Don Giacomo Cauda and the years of rebirth
The rebirth of Ruchè happened in the 1970s thanks to the efforts of a learned parish priest, Don Giacomo Cauda. He is attributed with the rediscovery of this variety that once was at risk of extinction. When Don Cauda arrived in Castagnole Monferrato at the end of the 1970s, he received 10 rows of grapevines as a “parish benefit”…and thus the story began.
Montalbera has always believed in the uniqueness of Ruchè.
For this reason, the winery chose to invest in research that traces the DNA of this mysterious variety, which is often grouped together with other varieties that are, in fact, quite distant in terroir and expression.
The object of the research (carried out by the Bioaesis laboratory of Ancona) is to use the grape’s DNA as an invisible “barcode” in order to determine the genetic traceability of the variety.
All analyses confirm that Ruchè possesses distinctive genetic characteristics that are different from other grape varieties present in databases.
The only variety that comes close to Ruchè is Pinot Nero, which has similar peaks in its DNA.
The identity of Ruchè has therefore been traced and analyzed, undoubtedly placing the variety in the panorama of other native vines that make Italian viticulture great.
