Amistà
The Amistà winery and farm are located in the heart of Italy’s picturesque Monferrato wine country. The region is Piedmont, in Italy’s northwest, a land renowned for its white truffles, hazelnuts, heirloom cattle, and red wines. Only one grape variety, Barbera, is grown in the vineyards at Amistà, which means “friendship.” And the estate makes just one wine: Nizza DOCG, an appellation considered to be the greatest expression of the Barbera variety. The terroir of Nizza — in other words, its unique combination of climate, geology, and human tradition — is ideal for making wines from Barbera with depth, nuance, and rich aromas and flavors balanced by freshness and food-friendliness. In the case of Amistà, the estate’s vineyards lie on two types of soil. The “terra bianca” or “white soil” is made of “limestone,” ancient seabed where its calcareous nature gives the wines nuanced elegance. The “terra rossa” or “red soil” is rich is clay, which imparts power and opulence. The vines at Amistà are among the oldest in the appellation, including 90-year-old vines that predate the use of American vine cuttings in Italy. All of Amistà’s grapes are grown organically using “biodynamic” methods, an approach that nurtures the “life” of the soil. Wild grasses and legumes are grown between the rows to promote biodiversity in the soils. Amistà also produces rare red-wine Vermouth di Torino made from its Nizza grapes.