Carussin - 'Carica l'Asino' - White Field Blend - Piemonte, IT - 2021

Notes from the Winery/Importer

From this old indigenous variety from Ligure, rediscoverd in Piedmont, a pleasant white wine is born Variety: Carica l’Asino, Favorita, Sauvignon Blanc and Cortese Alto Monferrato.

Production area: Town of San Marzano Oliveto, typical area of production of this DOCG wine.

Vineyards: Town of San Marzano Oliveto, map 9, part 223. Pruning system is Guyot. Planted in the year of 1954.

Working techniques in the vineyards: Pruning leaving 7/8 buds. Activities in the vineyardsare guided by a modern Biodynamic method, vineyards are certified organic by “Suolo e Salute”.

Harvesting: Manual harvesting with baskets, followed by analysis of maturation, generally in the second week of September.

Organoleptic Evaluation
Light straw-colored yellow, fresh and fruity scents. Light and balanced, perfectly acid and sapid.

The story of this wine is very special and it starts in 2005 when the farm purchased a stable surrounded by vineyards, at a region called “Valle Asinari” (“Valley of the Donkeys”). These vineyards are grown and soon it is discovered the diversity of two parcels of Cortese Alto Monferrato. We’ve asked the previous owner, a nice vivid lady of 1922, that satisfied our curiosity. When her husband found out about this variety, “Carica l’Asino” (“Load the Donkey”), through their friends from Acqui Terme, they decided to grow it in their land at the region of “Valle Asinari” (Valley of the Donkeys”). The curious existence of “Carica l’Asino” in that region combined with Bruna’s passion for Donkeys gave birth to the “Carica l’Asino” white wine. This wine has a longevity of 2/3 years.

Food Pairing

It is a still wine that goes well with appetizers, finger food and light dishes. Its curious sapidity sustains well sauces of first dishes. It is a pleasant wine of immediate taste.

Year Established: 1927
Location: Monferrato Asti
Size: 21 hectares
Varieties: Grignolino, Nebbiolo, Cortese, Moscato, Carica l’Asino.
Viticulture: Organic and Biodynamic
Vinification: Native yeasts

The Carussin family – Bruna, Luigi, Luca, and
Matteo – work together as a family to continue traditions that date back five generations.
Originally founded in 1927 with only four hectares, they grew over many years
to the twenty-one hectares that they and their extended family now farm in the
lower Monferrato Asti, on the hills of San Marzano Oliveto. Their vineyards are primarily planted to Barbera, but they also work with Grignolino, Nebbiolo, Cortese, Moscato, as well as an ancient white native variety – Carica l’Asino.
Carussin have eschewed the use of chemicals in their farming and winemaking practices since 1984. They have been certified organic for more than 20 years, following biodynamic principles in both the vineyard and the cellar. Harvest is done by hand. Fermentation is spontaneous (from native yeasts).

Notes on the Producer

Carussin Farm was born in 1927 in San Marzano Oliveto, a small town of the southern region of Monferrato in the province of Asti, in the hills between Nizza Monferrato and Canelli, followed by its founder’s settlement: Ferro Maggiore came from a close town called Calosso, there is where the name of the Farm comes from, in Piedmont dialect it means “Calossese”, original from Calosso.
In its begginings the Farm consisted of one house with 4 hectars of vineyards, to be expanded with the acquisition of a second house with 2 hectars. In 1950 Maggiore Ferro passes away crusche by an ox and his son Carlo follows with his work, helped by his uncle Giovanni. In the following years the Farms winegrowing potential gets stronger, substituing apple plantations with grapes, specially of Barbera d’Asti; reaching the current Vineyard area of circa 13 in town and circa 6 in Gino’s and Angelo’s lands, Luigi’s father and uncle respectively, from whom we buy such great grapes. The Farm’s lands are complete with fields of Clan!Destino beer’s barley and an area of 6.87 HA of woods in Roccaverano.
The Year of the change: now we produce quality wine
The most important breakthrough in terms of production was in 1961, year in which Carlo marries Vanda, as she also comes from a family of farmers, she takes his side in an incomparable way leading the farm, always making efforts to improve their products’ quality. In 1962 Bruna was born, as soon as she finishes her studies she dedicates her work, with her parents, to the difficult art of winegrowing and high quality winemaking.
In 1981 Luigi Garberoglio meets Bruna and gets attracted by the fascinating work of winemaking, and by Bruna, of course! Its consolidation will come 3 years after with the “inevitable” marriage… In 1988 Ferro Carlo leaves to his daughter his precious wealth of experience and wisdom, with his support and with so much will to grow, she continues this fascinating and compelling work which is winemaking. Nowadays Luigi Garberoglio and Bruna Ferro “nest their dreams” on their inherited reality, applying their life philosophy. With their sons Luca and Matteo, the family group is complete.
No chemicals that could harm nature are used on the Farm’s lands since 1984; besides, with the instruction of Dr. Leonello Anello we follow the work on our vineyards with the modern biodynamic method, good practices that extand in the cellar. Our work in the vineyards is certified organic by “Suolo e Salute”.
Carussin waits for your visit to the farm and to the cellar: the tour begins at the “core cellar” where Bruna’s grandparents used to work and it follows through the wine ageing room, you could then peek the winemaking cellar, where there are the pressing and the bottling facilities.