I Calici Wine and apricots
Business Hours
Closing Day
Holidays
In a good bottle of wine, quality is formed by 3 factors: soil, climate and man. The first two components are aspects that are beyond our control and therefore invariable, while human labor makes the difference.
I Calici is the farm run by Alberto and Ivan Troia, father and son respectively. Their work is divided between the vineyards of Castellinaldo and Magliano Alfieri where the winery is located and the three hectares of apricot orchards, from which they produce jams and marmalades. The selection of the best qualities of fruit has always been one of the most arduous and rewarding tasks in order to obtain genuine, healthy and good products without compromise.
Passion in producing red wines from Roero
Carefully working the vineyard accomplishes much of the work. That leaves the winemaking in the cellar, which is done here by combining the experience of 40 years of harvesting, the lessons of the past and the conscious use of modern technology. The winery produces three types of Barbera d’Alba , one of which is Superiore, and a Nebbiolo d’Alba, alongside Roero Arneis and a rosé wine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNh7LrAifd4
At I Calici, knowledge from the past and modern technologies are blended to produce wines of excellence
During warm weather, the first part of the tour takes place among the rows of the San Bernardo vineyard
Roero is a well-known tourist destination in food and wine and culture for the many castles and ancient villages
A story that
begins in 1920
in Magliano Alfieri
Wine craftsmanship, passion and pursuit of quality
The company's history began in the second decade of the 1900s, when Alberto Rava, grandfather of the winery's current owner, began vinifying his own grapes, producing a small quantity of wine to be sold in demijohns to private consumers in Turin. The sale to private individuals is a tradition that, as for many small businesses of the time, has always represented an important occasion for meeting and conviviality. Even today, this moment continues to be special for customers who, over time, have become friends and loyal visitors to the winery. During the 1960s, the winery passed into the hands of Luigi, Alberto's father, who flanked the production of wine with that of fresh summer and autumn fruit, also devoting himself to raising calves. In the following years, as the latter activities decreased, the wine area increased. Alberto, having completed his studies at the Alba School of Enology, chooses to work in the family. The turning point for the production of quality wines occurs in 1997 with the construction of the new winemaking facilities and the first bottling. With Ivan's entry into the company, both wine and fruit production expanded, particularly related to apricots, from which jams and marmalades are made.
The Wines
The exceptional soils of the Roero are naturally predisposed to the production of wine
The search for quality passes through the interventions carried out with care and rationality in the vineyard and the choice of the best grape varieties, capable of adapting to the type of soil. Alberto calls himself a born “barberista” (producer of Barbera wine) and has a strong passion for red wines of which he appreciates their evolution and change in the vineyard, as well as in the cellar. With Ivan’s entry into the company, the project of reintroducing in a modern key some wines as they used to be made in the 1960s and 1970s became a reality.
The reds: Barbera and Nebbiolo d’Alba
La Barbera d’Alba DOC Navi’ Ste è una delle chicche della produzione il cui nome di fantasia in piemontese significa ricordati, come se il padre e il nonno di Alberto raccomandassero di non dimenticare quanto appreso dagli insegnamenti del passato. Si tratta di un vino corposo e strutturato, che non ha toccato alcun ausilio meccanico: gli acini sono pigiati con i piedi, i travasi fatti con i secchielli, l’affinamento in damigiane fuori dalla cantina e l’imbottigliamento senza filtrazioni. Una produzione in edizione limitata (solo 600 bottiglie che triplicheranno con la vendemmia 2024), La Barbera Superiore DOCG Esagerà è vinificata per 12 mesi botti di rovere francese. Gli acini, carichi di colore, sono adatti all’invecchiamento in legno e sono raccolti in un vigneto che si trova in zona San Bernardo. Qui la vista è mozzafiato, per questo dalla primavera all’autunno è la location perfetta per aperitivi e degustazioni. La Barbera d’Alba Armondò è al contempo tradizionale e moderna. E’ vinificata in acciaio, quindi priva di influenze derivate dal legno, e regala sapori di ciliegia e mora. Nebbiolo d’Alba Carpignan, vinified for 12 months in oak barrels, is grown on soils rich in fossil sand. It returns delicate, floral aromas of berries and raspberry.
The white and the rosé
Completing the range of wines is Roero Arneis DOCG Mai dire Mai, made from 100% arneis grapes and aged for one year in stainless steel. It is a fruity, intense and delicate wine, hints of peach, apricot and tropical fruit that goes well with white meats, freshwater fish and savory seafood. Obligè is a richly colored rosé, a blend of Nebbiolo and Barbera grapes, fresh and fruity excellent with appetizers, fish and white meats.
Produced Wines
Vineyards Extension
N° of Bottles
Vineyards Location
Agricultural Method
The special red crates that are seen between the rows during the harvest allow the bunches to be transported while preserving their integrity
Alberto and Ivan welcome guests and lead the farm tour and tasting
Integrated pest management defends crops limits the use of pesticides as much as possible
Products
The birth of apricot jam and marmalade
Ninety percent of the harvested apricots end up on fresh market stalls in the Turin, Milan and Novara areas. From a small quantity of the high-quality Laycot variety, Alberto and Ivan make healthy and delicious jams without preservatives or coloring agents. The fruits are picked at the peak of their ripeness, resulting in high sugar content, reduced acidity and great organoleptic qualities. Washed and pitted in the laboratory, the fruits are vacuum cooked at low temperature (65°C) in order to safeguard the protein and organoleptic framework of the product, without the addition of any chemical additives before being pasteurized.
The three types of jams
The first type is free of added sugars with a pronounced acidity of the fruit. The second is closer to the standard of traditional jams with an addition of 150 grams of cane sugar per kilogram of pulp. The third represents a novelty in terms of combining and includes a small amount of grain from the prized Tonda e Gentile Nocciola delle Langhe hazelnut, roasted, fine and not at all invasive. The jams are artisanal and preservative-free. They have a two-year shelf life, but once opened, refrigerated storage and consumption within about ten days is recommended. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8RY_NkUQJE
What to see at the end of the visit
The different types of jars can be purchased from the farm
Tasty fruit that, due to late ripening, releases all the flavors of summer
With their white or pinkish flowers, apricot trees herald spring
Visits & Tastings
In the winery for a journey through passion, experience and the unique wines of Roero
Once at the winery, weather permitting, it is possible to take the vineyard walk at the spectacular San Bernardo vineyard, where the welcome aperitif of Rosato or Roero Arneis is tasted. In this location, the winery is introduced by emphasizing the importance to the work in the vineyard, which follows the integrated pest management discipline (with the limited use of chemicals, with low environmental impact). During the walk, Ivan takes guests in search of edible herbs such as farinaccio, borage, nettles and amaranth, which can be harvested and used at home to make pesto, omelettes and salads, depending on the season. Arriving at the winery, one discovers the rooms where winemaking and aging take place. Here there is also the barrique cellar where Barbera Superiore and Nebbiolo d’Alba rest.
The long-awaited moment of tasting
Alberto offers his guests an alternative version of the tasting and plays the role of Alby Storyteller, his theatrical alter ego and short story writer. He speaks in an original way about his wines and recounts anecdotes experienced in the first person, sometimes joking, sometimes tragic, but always stories of real country life.
When I took, all proud, my mom for the first time to the vineyard to do the thinning, she came home after fifteen minutes. I caught up with her and she pulled my hair, offended that we were throwing the bunches of grapes on the ground.
The tasting costs 20,00 € per person and includes:
- guided winery tour
- direct tasting from the barrels of wines being aged
- Tasting of 5 wines accompanied by local products
- tasting of 3 apricot preserves
The tasting in the vineyard
With a minimum of 15 guests, the same tasting can be held in the evening and during the beautiful season among the rows of the San Bernardo vineyard. In September and October it can also be requested for lunch because of the cooler weather in the middle hours of the day.
Groups
Visit Duration
Booking
Tasting Price
The introduction to the area is accompanied by an initial tasting in the vineyard during the warm season
In the winery they keep alive some traditional techniques handed down from ancestors
A convivial food and wine experience that returns during the warm season with the perfect backdrop of the Roero hills
Prices & Services
Visits and direct purchases at the winery
Winery tour and guided tasting
The tasting costs 20,00 € per person and includes:
- guided winery tour
- direct tasting from the barrels of wines being aged
- tasting of the 5 production wines accompanied by local products (cold cuts and cheeses)
- tasting of 3 apricot preserves
Upon request the same tasting can be held in the vineyard (minimum 15 people).
Wine cellar prices
- Barbera d'Alba DOC Armondò → 7,50 €
- Barbera d'Alba DOC Navìste → 10,00 €
- Barbera d’Alba Superiore DOC Esagerà → 13,00 €
- Nebbiolo d'Alba DOC Carpignan → 11,00 €
- Roero Arneis DOCG Mai Dire Mai → 8,00 €
- Vino Rosato Oblige → 7,00 €
Apricots and jams
- Sugar-free apricot jam 340 g → 6,00 €
- Apricot jam with brown sugar 340 g → 6,00 €
- Albycciola jam with grains of Tonda gentile delle Langhe hazelnut 340 g → 6,50 €
Services
Accepted Payments
International Museum of Women Artists (MIDA)
Chiesa della Madonna dei Prati, Via Artuffi, Ceresole Alba, CN, Italia
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I Calici
Wine and apricots
Wine Producer in Magliano Alfieri
I Calici
Wine and apricots
Wine Producer in Magliano Alfieri
