A wonderful Bio sustainable winery in Piemonte, Ca ed Balos, House of the Rascal

One of the wonderful things about writing about wine is one gets to meet some of the people who are instrumental in producing this nectar of the gods.

I was invited to the VINO 2011 by the Italian Trade Commission that took place in January 2011 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.   There were hundreds of vintners from all over Italy, some producing wine as it has always been, others adding grape varietals to the detriment of their product.  Mostly Chardonnay grapes to the whites and Merlot to the reds. Of course this measure is taken so that the buyers in the USA will be able to sell to their public who recognize those particular grapes whereas Primitivo, Greco, Sagrantino, Garganega to name a few of the fabulous grapes grown in the country of wine, Italy would go straight over their heads.

So I came into the grand tasting room and waited for my inner guide to take me where I should be and there with a big smile on her face was Renata Bonacina of Ca ed Balos in Piemonte.  She and her family live in a marvellous aged farmstead located in Castiglione Tinella which is the core zone for the production of Moscato di Asti.  Only in quite recent years did Renata and her husband decide to move to the countryside and start growing grapes and producing luscious wines. An important item for me was that there are no herbicides used and an advanced system to reduce the use of water makes this Bio –Sustainable agriculture at its best.…an interesting fact is that the this area of the Low Piemonte was covered by sea thirty years ago and many fossils of plants, shells and fish skeletons have been found in the light pale tufa that covers the land.  

This is a big adventure for Renata and also a way to express the passion she has for organic viniculture and viticulture.  Her wines are of the best quality and the drawing of the Balos on their Moscato label is the symbol of their winery.  Ca ed Balos in the local dialect translates to ‘House of the Rascal’ and is the original name of the farmstead.

The air is scented with the aroma of the wine as the fermentation under controlled temperatures takes place, strawberries and peach, orange and elder are the characteristics of this Moscato d’Asti which is outstanding as a dessert wine served with biscuits and cake and soft cheeses. 

The Langhe Favorita from the Bricco Olive vineyard is another Ca ed Balos white.  Lightly sparkling with yellow straw colours reflecting greenish tints.  With lovely aromas of flowers, apple and orange, this is a dry fresh wine with a minerally and bitterish after taste.

So we hope that these wines will be available very soon in the wine stores across the usa and the world.....