Alberto Oggero

Alberto Oggero works at the forefront of the beautiful shake-up that Roero has been experiencing for some years now. Roero lies just a few kilometres from Barberesco, on the opposite side of the Tanaro River, an area of domed hills shaped by extinct rivers, with soils derived from limestone and marine sands of an ancient sea known as the Golfo Padano. It’s these sandy, rocky soils that gift the Nebbiolo and Arneis from here with their bright, crunchy and fragrant personalities. Yet unlike the neighbouring vineyards of the Langhe, Roero’s diversity of terroirs and microclimates has lived in the shadow cast by the two Piemonte heavyweights, Barolo and Barbaresco.

Alberto’s grandfather was a simple and self-sufficient farmer, who cultivated a number of small vineyards in Santo Stefano Roero. As a young lad, Alberto would relish the time he spent with his grandfather in the vineyards. While his father and uncle followed a different path, Oggero studied viticulture in Alba, and—frustrated by the lack of recognition his region was receiving—returned home in 2009 to revive the family’s neglected small plots and buildings, “When I finished my studies, I rolled up my sleeves and set up the old family business."

Oggero has a genuine passion for his home turf and an infectious amount of energy. We’ve witnessed him literally beaming and bounding across his old vineyards with pride. He works the family’s original 4.2 hectares—planted to Nebbiolo and Arneis—spread across nine steep parcels in the communes of Santo Stefano Roero, Monteu Roero and his home district of Canale. He has also acquired a new parcel of 80- to 100-year-old vines with traditional trellising, called ‘Anime’. Oggero works with organic practices, and his low impact winemaking ensures the honesty of his vineyards is matched in the cellar. All the wines are naturally fermented in cement and stainless steel, and never filtered or fined.