The "Antica Casa Vinicola Scarpa" winery is located in the municipality of Nizza Monferrato (province of Asti) in the Italian region of Piedmont. It was founded in 1900 by Antonio Scarpa, a native of Venice, who fulfilled his dream of owning a small winery in Piedmont. It was not until the 1920s that the wines were bottled themselves. The young Mario Pesce took over Antonio Scarpa's business in 1948 and ran it until 2002, transforming the small operation into a company with industry-leading standards. In 2014, the property was taken over by a new owner. The oenologist Carlo Castino (nephew of Mario Pesce) was responsible for the technical management from 1962 to 2007, and from then on Silvio Trinchero. Holiday homes with 40 beds are rented out with a panoramic view over the hills of the Langhe and Roero, and events with show cooking, wine tastings, cooking and painting courses and winery visits are organised.
In 1968, the first property vineyard "Poderi Bricchi" was acquired with 25 hectares. Today, the vineyards cover a total of 30 hectares of vines, 25 of which are located between the hills of Asti and Acqui Terme on the right bank of the Tanaro river and 5 additional hectares in the Langhe area (Neive, La Morra and Verduno). They are planted with the red wine varieties Barbera, Nebbiolo, Dolcetto and Ruchè and the white wine varieties Moscato (Muscat Blanc) and Timorasso, among others. In the ecological cultivation of the vineyards, great importance is attached to sustainability and the promotion of biodiversity (species diversity) through the planting of lavender fields and hazelnut groves. Chemical weed control has been replaced with environmentally friendly practices using cover crop and organic fertilisers.
Winemaking follows non-invasive rules, which means "as much as necessary, as little as possible". The longevity of the wines is a principle of the house. The product range includes the DOCG wines Barbaresco, Barbera d'Asti, Barolo and Moscato d'Asti, as well as the DOC wines Dolcetto d'Acqui, Monferrato, Nebbiolo d'Alba and Verduno Pelaverga. Depending on the type of wine, they are matured in stainless steel tanks and the top wines in large wooden barrels (25- to 60-hl) and are subjected to bottle ageing for another year on average before being marketed. A collection of historic vintages from 1960 onwards is stored in the wine cellar. Vermouth with 40 different herbs has also been produced according to old recipes since 1920.
