When one hears the word Piemonte, on tends to immediately think of Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera and certainly mainly of red wines. But right at the border of Piemonte, in the commune of Tortona, between Alessandria and Voghera lie the Colli Tortonesi. In the DOC region of the same name you will find, tucked away among lots of Barbera, that the Timorasso grape is also cultivated.

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For many young winemakers in the Tortonese region, the return to Timorasso represents the only correct way to re-evaluate the agricultural roots, and to reap identity and wealth from them, while at the same time ensuring biological diversity is maintained. They have mainly one particular man to thank for the initial spark in this direction: Walter Massa, Wine grower and oenologist. His expertise, passion and decisiveness are responsible for the revitalising of old traditions, such as the cultivation of this indigenous grape variety, providing us wine lovers with a golden nectar.

Walter Massa in his vineyards (Photo: Katrin Walter)

500 years of history revolve around Timorasso

The first records relating to the white wine of the Colli Tortonesi date back to Sante Lancerio in the 15th century. He was Pope Paul III’s cellarmaster, and the author of treatises on the taste characteristics of various wines, their maturation potential and suitability for specific pairings with food. Today, these documents are considered to be the first records of wine literature in Italy.

In the 18th century some 23.000 hectolitres of Timorasso were produced in the Colli Tortonesi, and sold as „Torbolino“, as must, which was concentrated and dark after 12 to 24 hours of fermentation, mainly in bulk, and mainly to Germany and Switzerland. There the product was processed and filtered and returned to Italy later under some exotic name bearing no indication of the origin or grape variety.

In previous times, the Timorasso vineyards were mainly to be found in the upper Val Curone, in the Val Grue and in the Val Borbera. Prior to the phylloxera infestation it could also be found in the region around Genoa and in the Oltrepò Pavese. The vines grew wild and of their own accord in amongst other agricultural areas. The variety was considered to be rather rustic, preferring poor soils and thriving even where there was a reduced water supply.

Recent research has shown that exceptionally high quality can be achieved with the variety in locations at altitudes greater than 250 metres above sea level, and it has also been shown that the best soil for the Timorasso vines is a light-coloured clay soil such as can be found in the region around Tortona.

The compact bunches of Timorasso are easy to recognise, as they consist simultaneously of large and small berries, and in part also have small branches without any berries. The technical term in Italy for this situation, where some of the flowers do not develop into fully ripe berries, is aborto floreale. It is this fact that accounts for the lack of interest grape farmers showed in Timorasso for a long time, as one assumed that this characteristic was indicative of a low-quality grape variety. And that is how they came to concentrate on varietals that promised higher quantitative yields: Barbera and Cortese.

The latter produces no problems in the vineyard, has a high production, has an attractive light-coloured must, is simpler to process and quickly produces intense aromas, although it tends to lose them again just as quickly. Quite the opposite of the Timorasso, which Walter Massa has been promoting since the Eighties in an effort to give the Tortona region a new face.

Accelerating from 600 to 120.000

In the late Eighties Walter Massa, convinced of the power and the potential of the Timorasso varietial, started his experiments. The ancient white could still be found here and there.

Lady Luck smiled on him: the demand by a well-known grappa producer for Timorasso pomace gave him the decisive initial capital for the experiments designed to culminate in a quality product.

In 1987, the total production in this first vintage was 600 bottles of Timorasso. By 2005 some 20.000 bottles were produced in Walter Massa’s cellar alone, with a total of 120.000 bottles produced by a total of 30 producers from the Colli Tortonesi (27), Gavi (1), Monferrato Casalese (1) and Val Borbera (1), of these 18 wineries bottle their own wines. Today, the Timorasso vineyard area totals 42 hectares, of which 23 hectares are currently in production.

Walter Massa, always passionate when discussing indigenous varieties and quality (Photo: Consorzio Obertengo)

However it is not the figures that are driving Walter Massa, but his desire to give his territory an identity. That is why he is fighting for quality, fairness and recognisability. He never tires presenting his concepts again and again, and also passing on his knowledge and experience, and that is how he has succeeded in convincing many other agricultural producers that his goal is a worthy one: recognition by the market. They meet every three months to compare their products, the benchmark is Walter Mass’s Timorasso: „My colleagues were afraid to do as I told them, as I was considered to be at least slightly revolutionary: no sulphur, no racking. This led to us holding regular meetings, to check on what each of us has in their cellars, so that all those producers who has no experience of the subject could compare their wines with mine, and if they saw that the wines were similar to mine they were relieved.“

The Obertengo consorzio

The consorzio responsible for the protection of the wines from Piemont Obertengo (Marca Obertenga is the name of this region, which dates back to a division of the region dating back to the early Middle Ages) was established in 1999. The production regulations for Timorasso were defined by Walter Massa.

The DOC regulations of the Colli Tortonesi for Timorasso state:	Facts related to the 2005 vintage of Timorasso are:
... minimum alcohol content of 12 % vol.	... minimum alcohol content of 13,5 % vol. and more (this also applies to other vintages)
... 80 tons per hectare permitted	... no producer exceeds 7 tons per hectare, on average the yield is in the range of 6 to 6,5 tons per hectare
... maximum yield of wine not to exceed 65% of harvest volume	... conversion of grapes to wine: 65 %
... minimum dry extract of 17 g/l	... dry extract: 24 g/l
... minimum total acidity of 5 g/l	... Total acidity between 6 and 7 g/l
	... pH value between 3,15 and 3,25
...sulphur not to exceed 80 mg/l
... residual sugar not to exceed 4 g/l
... 95 % Timorasso, 5 % other white non-aromatic grape varieties permitted for use in Alessandria district	... 100 % Timorasso
... oak maturation permitted	None of the members matures his Timorasso in oak (except for Martinetti, who is not a member of the Obertengo consorzio)
... that Timorasso may not be sold earlier than thirteen months after the harvest, i.e. practically as of the 1st of November of the year following the harvest (a big festival is celebrated in the 30 communes in the hills of the production area on this date each year)	... it will not be available in the trade before 2007´(wines from old vines will also still be released even later)

A few bottles of Timorasso produced by members of the consorzio, together with some salami and Montébore. (Photo: Consorzio Obertengo)

The production criteria for Timorasso were agreed unanimously by all the members, and are implemented enthusiastically. This includes an undertaking to utilise as little technical equipment as possible, and to carry out only a light pneumatic pressing.

Piemont und Ligurien im 10. Jh. n. Chr. eingeteilt in Marken. Die Marca Obertenga reichte von Genua bis Piacenza (Quelle: gavionline.it)

The grapes are fermented on the skin for 24 to 26 hours, with no sulphur being added. Then the grapes are pressed, followed by decanting in order to clarify the must. The must is then transferred to a temperature-controlled stainless steel tank, where it is kept for a year. The temperature is initially around 20 to 23 °C, and after the alcoholic fermentation, when the grape’s own yeasts have done their work, this is cooled down to somewhere around 10 to 18 °C. At this temperature, malolactic fermentation gets under way spontaneously, with no need to add external bacteria. Keeping the wine on its own fermentation lees also acts as a natural defence against oxidation.

There is an ongoing debate on the use of oak maturation. So far, only one of the producers is experimenting with this. All the others agree unanimously that „Timorasso is already very full-bodied and powerful, and has a rich structure, so that additional oak would make it too heavy“, that is how the position is summarised by Elisa Semino, the young oenologist at „La Colombera“, who participated in the search for Timorasso clones, as well as in the cataloguing of vineyards and studying the different characteristics of the clones in the cellar and during maturation, as part of her university studies.

Elisa Semino, oenologist at La Colombera, with her brother Lorenzo, a passionate snowboarder who is ranked 50th in the world (Photo: La Colombera)

In accordance with the rules of the DOC Colli Tortonesi Bianco the Timorasso bears precisely this designation on the label. The local producers have applied for the granting of an own DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata = controlled designation of origin) for Timorasso using the name DERTHONA (lLatin for Tortona), but this has not yet been granted. Many producers additionally show this imaginary designation on the label.

In the vineyard

The vine is trellised in rows, with the vegetation growing upwards. The vine itself is around 50 cm high. Different types of pruning are possible: Guyot or spurs with 8 to 10 eyes (the first 4 generally have a reduced fertility). Planting density is never less than 4.000 vines per hectare, and can even exceed 7.000 vines in some cases.

The grapes are harvested in late September/early October, thus pretty much at the end of the harvesting period overall. This is a problem, as it coincides with early morning dew formation and fog, and in some cases the Timorasso vines suffer significantly. Its very specific ripening process demands a great deal of attention from the grower, as the time between an almost ripe grape and a grape that needs to be picked urgently can be as little as two days.

One producer decided to even take a further risk: Azienda Agricola Renato Boveri. He decided to produce a late harvested wine, picked around 15 days later than the other grapes. His first Timorasso (and the only white wine produced here) will be the 2005 vintage, sourced from the „Albarola“ vineyard site. The barrel or rather the tank sample is an explosion of freshness and fruit, at this stage the components still stand side by side, but it all seems very promising. We will know more in February 2007, that is when the wine is due to be bottled. For the estate, this is a fun project, a challenge to the others, as the “first love” here is definitely Barbera.

Walter Massa shows us the stage of development of the Timorasso grapes in early July (Photos: Katrin Walter)

Patience for three years

In the first year after its production the Timorasso is rather bland and unimpressive. It needs time. Pure varietal Timorasso will only show its real value and riches when it starts developing tertiary aromas in the bottle, and is then transformed from a „dumb“ wine to one that is capable of real excellence.

The wine will be at its best at the earliest after three years. One should thus now (late 2006) be drinking the 2003, 2002, 2001 vintages, as these will be showing off the typical character of the wine: ripe fruit, mineral notes, spice and balsamic notes, even older vintages will also show preserved fruit, dried wild flowers, camomile, mint, lavender, tobacco and butter.

Initially it will show only a little fruit, some light mineral notes, vegetal notes, but it gives away nothing of its body and power at this stage. The regulations allow producers to sell the wine after a minimum of one year and two months.

„We offer it for sale after two years and three months, but we also tell customers that if they are patient, perhaps for six months or a year, you will be able to discover a different wine“, explains Elisa Semino

Most producers already sell their Timorasso after approximately two years as a result of commercial pressures. The result is that it is impossible to find any of the 2001 vintage available at the cellars. Only a very small quantity of the 2002 vintage ever made it to market, as this was an extremely rainy vintage, and most of the Timorasso grapes were affected by rot. If you are lucky, you will still be able to find a few bottles of the 2003 vintage, which has a great potential, in the trade, but most of the wines available at the end of 2006 are from the 2004 vintage, which was very harmonious. 2005 also promises to be very harmonious.

Its long maturation potential ensures its role as a protagonist. If it is carefully tended in the vineyard and then carefully and hygienically processed in the cellar, it can remain very drinkable for 6 years and even much longer. A wine that is perhaps a little like a Montrachet?

The „lovers“ of Timuras

It appears one of the most enthusiastic champions of Timorasso was Leonardo da Vinci. The Tuscan scientist and artist, when attending the wedding of Isabella d’Aragon, brought as a gift this cheese, which comes from the Piemonte, in the shape of a three-tier wedding cake, accompanied by an unusual and rare white wine, which better than any other wine brought out the special taste of this cheese: the Timuras.

The cheese, too, is rare, but it is being produced again. It is called Montébore and is generally made from 75 % cows’ and 25 % goats’ milk (never more than 40 %), just as was the case in the 12th century, when lots of 50 of these cheeses were sent to a church leader in the hope of obtaining a favourable reference from him for a family member. This tradition, in a slightly adapted form, is still popular today in sports, politics and business. The production of cheese was abandoned around 20 years ago, and has only been rediscovered recently, and is now a passenger – as are all things good and rare – on the SlowFood ark.

The Montébore (Photos: Alexala and Katrin Walter)

This „tower of milk“, as the cheese is called, probably with reference to the castle of Montébore, really is quite heavenly when paired with Timorasso: be it as a cheese sauce with homemade green gnocchi or at the end of a meal with some acacia honey. Drunk very young, Timorasso is also suitable as an aperitif, with pasta dishes and risotto, with poultry or pork dishes, particularly when aromatic herbs are used in the recipe. The best combinations, of course, are those with regional food specialities, such as the sausages „carne cruda“, „peperoni ripieni“ – but also with tuna or sardines -, goats’ cheese. However, it reaches its absolute fulfilment when accompanying a close neighbour of the house: white truffles (of which a large proportion of the national production is sourced from the region around Tortona, more than from the Alba region), very simply on „tajerin al burro“ or on a poached egg.

Timorasso as a defined identity and term of reference for Obertengo

Walter Massa is drawing ever closer to achieving his ambition: „The aim is for Timorasso to become a term of reference.“ The wine has been recognised by critics and by the market, and already commands a respectable price: A bottle of Timorasso will cost between 12,00 and 30,00 Euros in the vinotheques in the region, prices outside Italy are a little higher.

The importance of this wine for individual wine producers has increased significantly, not only as a result of the prices that can be achieved. In many cases, the production of quality wine led to a total re-orientation of the winery. Before Timorasso was planted, many wineries did not even have the equipment to produce white wine: refrigeration equipment, suitable presses, etc. Then they planted Timorasso, and the wineries were forced to invest in equipment, without this they need not have bothered even starting. Up to that point, white wine had only been sold to private customers in so-called Damigiane (large basket-covered bottles with a volume of between 28 and 54 litres, used to sell the wine in bulk) an Private. With the new technology in place, other wines too, such as for example the Cortese, were also converted to quality wine production methods, thus achieving a huge jump in quality for the winery as a whole. That is why Timorasso really is more than just a wine here, it is the key to a whole new approach to wine production and to one’s own roots, it is the synonym for a happy combination of tradition and progress.

However, technology is considered to be of only marginal value: only as much as is needed. In particular, producers are aware of what nature offers them, and that they must handle this carefully. „The grapes reproduce themselves, and develop whatever they need. "The machine required for the production of wine is already in place, there is only one and it is called the sun“, says Walter Massa and adds: „as well as some healthy common sense“.

A bunch of Timorasso grapes that is not yet fully ripe, approx. early September, it is amber-coloured when ripe (Photos: Consorzio Obertengo and La Colombera)(Fotos: Consorzio Obertengo und La Colombera)

Perhaps this is the route for him to help the Obertengo region to become famous, and to provide the identity they yearn for so much for the land owned by himself and his colleagues in the area between Gavi, Novi and Tortona, after all, there are already numerous famous names that have originated in the Obertengo region: from the composer Lorenzo Perosi, via Don Orione, the cyclists Costante Girardengo and Fausto Coppi, the historian Cornelio Desimoni, the composer Romualdo Marenco right down to the artists Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo.