Region & History

Alta Langa is the name of the sparkling wine that Piedmont produces from Pinot Nero and Chardonnay using traditional bottle fermentation. Those who think of red wine first when they hear Piedmont will be surprised by the higher hills south of Alba and Asti: there, a Metodo Classico is made that carries its own vintage on the label every year.

Producers point out that the first Italian Metodo Classico—sparkling wine with secondary fermentation in the bottle—was already made in Piedmont in the mid-19th century. The house of Contratto states it was founded in 1867 and produced Italy's first vintage-dated sparkling wine in 1919. To this day, the region's reputation rests on this long tradition.

The wine has only carried its current name since the turn of the millennium. In 2001, producers and growers founded the Alta Langa consortium; the DOC was recognized on October 31, 2002, and the higher DOCG designation followed on February 21, 2011. Since then, a firm rule has applied: only vintage-dated sparkling wine is produced, and every bottle states its harvest year.

The production zone lies to the right of the Tanaro river and spans 149 municipalities across the provinces of Cuneo, Asti, and Alessandria. It rises above the famous vineyards of the Langhe and Roero. The DOCG protects the name on the label: only those who use grapes from this zone and meet the requirements for ripeness and grape varieties may use it.

Today, the consortium counts more than 130 producers by its own account, including Banfi, Contratto, Coppo, Enrico Serafino, Fontanafredda, Gancia, and Tosti1820. In 2023, about 3.2 million bottles came to market from roughly 455 hectares of vineyard. That's a modest figure, but a respectable quantity for an Italian sparkling wine that matures exclusively in the bottle.