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The Beppe Marino winery is located halfway between two towns that link their names to Moscato d’Asti DOCG: Santo Stefano Belbo and Canelli and is located within the former Monastery of the Daughters of St. Joseph.
This area straddling the Low Langhe and Monferrato is also considered the historical home of Barbera d’Asti DOCG and Nizza DOCG, obtained from the best Barbera d’Asti grapes.
This appellation was in fact created in 2014 and is governed by strict regulations that allow a high standard of production to be maintained.
A few steps from the birthplace of Cesare Pavese, the famous author from Langhe, in an authentic and sincere Langa context, capable of carving out more and more space among the areas most frequented by wine tourists, it is possible to visit the Beppe Marino winery, where Beppe is still the historical memory of his cellar.
Here you can rediscover almost forgotten local stories and learn about traditions and innovative choices linked to modernity, in a rural setting that has been a UNESCO heritage site since 2014.
During the visit you can meet and learn about the history of the winery directly from the people who founded it
Rosalba selects the Moscato grapes destined for the production of the Moscato Passito that bears her name
In autumn, the cultivated hills offer one of the best foliage displays in Piedmont
A story that
begins in 1972
in Santo Stefano Belbo
The winery was established between Langhe and Monferrato in the typical production area of the famous Moscato d'Asti
The winery was established in 1972 by its founder Beppe Marino who, rediscovering his passion for the world of wine and drawing on his commercial skills, reorganized his grandparents' vineyards, expanding their size by purchasing new plots in the surrounding areas.
His winemaking activity began on Via Stazione, where the rooms dedicated to wine aging, barriques and tonneaux are still located today.
The countryside is concentrated in three locations near Santo Stefano Belbo where farmhouses still in use today are located.
Family unity is the secret of the winery: in the 1970s Beppe met and married Rosalba, originally from Nizza Monferrato, who brought as her dowry the Barbera vineyards owned by her family, located in Vinchio Vaglio Serra and Castelnuovo Calcea.
Leaving the management of the historic perfumery in the village to her sister, Rosalba chose to assist her husband in working the countryside and bottling.
Today it is Beppe's son who runs the winery. Maurizio represents the second generation and, following in his father's footsteps, has opened the winery to modernity, expanding the range of wines and their distribution.
In 2016 Beppe Marino moved his production to the Monastery of the Daughters of St. Joseph, where some rooms were already being used by the nuns to vinify mass wine.
Maurizio's future project is to start an accommodation facility that welcomes guests in a place rich in history and a point of reference for the Belbo Valley.
The Wines
A journey through two DOCGs typical of this area: Moscato d'Asti and Barbera d'Asti
The first and historic Moscato d’Asti DOCG produced by Beppe Marino is Muray, a play on words that comes from the Piedmontese mu (mulberry trees) and ray (rare). At a time when mulberry cultivation was very widespread alongside vineyards, it was decided to grow Muscat grapes on these particularly suitable soils.
Muray is a wine that carries with it all the important characteristics of this grape variety: aromaticity, hints of honey and acacia flowers.
A white wine capable of following the evolution of consumer taste by pairing with desserts, as well as cocktails, aperitifs, cheeses and sweet and sour, spiced and spicy dishes, such as those of Indian and Asian cuisine.
The Moscato d’Asti DOCG Organic Santo Stefano comes from a vineyard left uncontaminated to protect the environment and is particularly suitable for pairing with traditional Piedmontese desserts such as chocolate bunet, dry pastries and zabaione.
The emerging Canelli appellation
Its origins are based on the already existing Moscato d’Asti appellation, but it is more closely linked to the territory of Canelli from which it originates.
It is called Capitolo Uno because this is precisely where
the winery’s story begins: memories of that dry sound of the grape berry breaking between the teeth, stolen from the cluster ready for harvest, of the smell of sugar that fills the nose and the density
of the juice that embraces the tongue.
The range of whites is enriched by the Alta Langa DOCG Brut Classic Method Due Bollicine and two still wines, the Piemonte DOC Chardonnay and the Vino Bianco Parej, just as it is in Piedmontese dialect.
The latter represents a leap into the past, when Muscat was drunk dry and is excellent with white meats, shellfish or sweets and as a dessert wine.
The two types of Barbera d’Asti
A special mention is due to Barbera d’Asti DOCG in its two versions.
The Barbera d’Asti DOCG Pietre, once called Vigna delle Pietre due to the presence of marine fossils, pairs with any dish prepared simply, does not age in wood and is pleasantly enjoyed young.
The Barbera d’Asti DOCG Superiore Momparone, produced with grapes harvested in the vineyards of Vinchio and Vaglio, ages in steel tanks and is refined in barriques. It then rests in the bottle for a year.
A noble, full-bodied wine with good structure to be enjoyed with important dishes: meats, game, mushrooms and autumn dishes.
The Nizza DOCG Riserva Quattrofilari
Maurizio’s desire to bring innovation to the winery was realized with the production of Nizza DOCG Riserva Quattrofilari, vinified with grapes picked from the four northernmost rows and best exposed of the Momparone vineyard.
The yield per hectare is quite limited, but of high quality with about 4,000 / 5,000 bottles produced annually; an important wine, for meditation or to pair with traditional Piedmontese meat-based dishes.
The passitos
The Piemonte DOC Barbera Passito represents the desire to reinterpret Barbera in a passito style, according to an ancient tradition handed down in Langhe and Monferrato and pairs particularly well with main meat-based courses and cheeses.
The Piemonte DOC Moscato Passito Albarosa carries the name of Rosalba, Beppe’s wife, to whom it is dedicated. It is obtained from Muscat grapes selected by her and left to dry on rows sheltered from the weather.
Produced Wines
Barbera d'Asti DOCG Momparone Moscato d'Asti DOCG MurayPiemonte Brachetto DOC BramusaAsti Spumante DOCG Sorì ValentinoMoscato d'Asti DOCG BIO Santo StefanoMoscato Passito DOC Albarosa
Vineyards Extension
N° of Bottles
Vineyards Location
Agricultural Method
Beppe’s son, now leading the company
The religious symbols on the walls recall the former presence of the Monastery of the Daughters of St Joseph
The production of quality wines is linked to interventions throughout the year
Experiences
During the visit it is possible to meet Beppe Marino, founder and memory of the winery
The tasting begins under the outdoor canopy. Here, from August to the end of September it is possible to observe the work carried out during the harvest.
You witness the arrival of the clusters in trailers or placed in special perforated boxes and the transfer into the hopper. The Muscat grapes are immediately pressed to obtain the must, while the red berry grapes are separated from the stalks and crushed.
The reds ferment under the canopy in horizontal vinifiers, the dry whites ferment in the cellar at controlled temperature.
The visitor then follows the grape circuit, visiting the rooms that house the stainless steel tanks, the small barrel cellar and the bottling line. On the walls there are still sacred images in memory of the time when the nuns of the Monastery of the Daughters of St. Joseph produced wine for mass.
The tasting of the must of Nizza or Moscato directly from the tanks, in the very first stages of processing, allows for subsequent comparisons during the tasting.
The wines to taste
The tasting is the most anticipated moment of the visit. It takes place outside in the large garden, during the warm season, or in the dedicated room.
It includes a course of five wines representative of the production.
Price per person: €25.00, reservation required on Saturdays and Sundays.
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Moscato vineyards in the hills of a small hamlet of Santo Stefano Belbo
Under the outdoor canopy, it is possible, in autumn, to watch the harvesting of the grapes
Grapes are transported in special crates to avoid crushing
The Monastery of the Daughters of St. Joseph
The winery is now located inside this place rich in history
In 1875 Blessed Clemente Marchisio founded the congregation of the Daughters of St. Joseph of Rivalba, a town in the province of Turin, with the aim of improving some aspects related to liturgical celebration.
In 1906, a group of nuns moved to Santo Stefano Belbo, continuing the production of Moscato da Messa, a sweet white wine necessary for priests throughout Italy to officiate the liturgical service.
The nuns managed its production for over 100 years, assisted by the valuable advice of an oenologist. In 2012, the lack of vocation led to the abandonment of the house.
Since 2016, Beppe Marino has become its owner continuing to produce, thanks to the clearance from the bishopric of Alba, mass wines distributed throughout Italy.
The center, also known as the Monastery of the white wine nuns, still remains today a symbol for this area, a place where spirituality, community, charity and wine culture coexisted.
Today there are 24 spiritual centers and houses dedicated to Blessed Clemente Marchisio throughout the world.
The village of Santo Stefano Belbo between wine tourism and culture
Prices & Services
All wines from the production can be purchased at the winery
The tasting
The tasting includes a course of five representative wines.
Price → €25.00 / person
Services
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Beppe Marino
Wine Producer in Santo Stefano Belbo
Beppe Marino
Wine Producer in Santo Stefano Belbo
