Roero, north of Alba, is one of Piedmont's more discreet appellations, in the shadow of its famous neighbours Barolo and Barbaresco. In this landscape of hills with sometimes steep slopes and sandy clay-limestone soils, we find the great Piedmontese red grape variety, nebbiolo, as well as the rarer arneis, the grape variety that characterises the whites of the appellation and more widely of the Langhe region. This terroir on the left bank of the Tanaro River reveals its own personality, subtly different from the large neighbouring appellations, which is enhanced by demanding estates such as Cascina Val del Prete.
The Val del Prete "farm" is beautifully situated in a natural amphitheatre in Priocca, a village in the small Roero appellation, north of Alba, in Piedmont. Mario Roagna took over the family farm in 1995 and since then has devoted it to viticulture and, together with his son Giovanni, has chosen organic farming and biodynamic practices. 10 hectares of vineyards are planted around the house and the cellar, with the classic red varieties of Piedmont - nebbiolo and barbera - and plots of arneis, the emblematic white variety of the Roero, which was once abandoned but is now enjoying a renaissance, and of which the estate has become one of the leading interpreters.
