Beneath the town of Canelli lie tunnels within the limestone tufa. These tunnels were built beginning in the 18th century, but the history of this area starts with prehistoric settlers from Liguria and continues through the Roman Empire.
The Romans developed a settlement in the region during the Roman era, and then, nothing was noted of the area for a long while. In the late Middle Ages, Canelli was designated a “town.” It was not until the late 18th century that the region came to prominence for its wine industry, specifically for Moscato d’Asti.
Coppo Cellars
This winery dates to 1892 and lays claim to being one of the oldest wineries in Italy.
On their label, you will see an emblem that matches a wood sculpture created in the 1920s for the winery. It is a Putto (a cherub) trying to contain the bubbles in a bottle of sparkling wine. So you can see the Asti Spumante in their roots.
Coppo was also one of the first wineries in Italy to adopt “Estate bottling.”
The Coppo Cellars Vineyards
The Coppo Estate extends to over 85 hectares of vineyards in several areas.
Monferrato
In Monferrato in the Asti Lange near Canelli and Cassinasco, they grow the grapes for their Metodo Classico sparkling wines. These are Moscato Bianco, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
South of Asti, near the Belbo and Bormida Rivers, they have vineyards in Calosso, Cassinasco, and Castelnuovo for their Chardonnay.
Near Agliano Terme, Castelnuovo Calcea, and Nizza, they grow their Barberas.
They also own the La Rocca Estate where they grow Cortese. These vineyards are in the upper Monferrato of Allesandri in Serravalle Scriva. These grapes are used to make their Gavi La Rocca wine.
Langhe
In their Langhe vineyards, they grow Nebbiolo, which they can vinify as Barolo. They are one of a few historic wineries making Barolo before the DOCG was established and were grandfathered in.
They have also acquired new vineyards in strategic crus for making Barolo and Barbaresco.
Sustainability
Sustainability is important to them, and they have incorporated organic, biodynamic, and regenerative farming methods into their vineyards. They include cover crops, avoid chemical pesticides and encourage healthy bugs. They are also certified SQNPI.
Tunnels and Tufa
These ancient cellars were dug into the soft tufa rock beneath Canelli as far back as the 16th century. Coppo’s cellars originally held the region’s Metodo Classico sparkling wines. These tunnels span 5,000 square meters and run as much as 40 meters deep. These rounded caverns filled with bottles and barrels cause a reverence similar to entering a cathedral.
These tunnels were named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2014.
So, now that we know about the winery and the region, what about the wines?
Well…my shipment was delayed due to an accident with the box, and the winery is kindly sending replacements, but they have yet to arrive.
I look forward to digging into the wines when they arrive and creating pairings! In the meantime, I’ll share a bit about what I learned about their wines and my thoughts on what I would pair them with! (Watch for the pairings to be added after the wines arrive!)
The Wines of Coppo Cellars
Moncalvina Moscato d’Asti
100% Moscato Bianco, this wine comes from Canelli, where this variety has thrived since the 13th century.
They mention floral notes with peach and pear on this wine. This is a sweet Moscato so it is perfect with desserts.
For this, I would make a simple dessert of grilled peaches with honey, thyme, and vanilla ice cream.
$19 retail
Costebianche Piemonte Chardonnay 2023
This Chardonnay comes from young vineyards planted in white clay and calcareous marl soils 650 feet above sea level.
Part of this wine is aged on the lees in barriques, and the other is aged in stainless steel.
They note tropical fruits and a bit of savoriness in this wine and suggest pairing it with gazpacho, stuffed zucchini flowers, or sole meuniere.
I might run with the gazpacho here, tying in the tropical fruit with pineapple.
$29
Tenuta La Rocca Gavi DOC 2023
This wine comes from the La Rocca vineyard in the Gavi DOCG and is made from Cortese, one of the oldest varieties in the region.
They note ripe white peach, citrus, and orange skin as well as complexity from mineral notes.
They suggest pairing this with seafood or puntarella all Romana, a salad of puntarella shoots with anchovies, garlic, and a vinaigrette. Puntarella is a chicory.
I will lean into something with vegetables, herbs, and a chicory-style green. Perhaps a frisee if I can find one. I like the idea of a gnudi with greens or pasta with a pesto. Something to pull in the green notes and a little bit of bitterness.
Pasta with lemon pesto and ricotta,
$19
Monteriolo Piemonte Chardonnay 2022
This International variety has been in the Piemonte region since the mid-1800s.
This wine ages on its fine lees in French oak. They stir the lees periodically, giving this wine a rich round mouthfeel.
They note fruit notes of pear and banana. (hmm?? she says)
They recommend fresh pasta with porchini mushrooms, rabbit, or pinzimonio vegetables (fresh vegetables dipped in seasoned olive oil)
I believe I would go with a Tagliatelle with Porcini mushrooms, leeks, and fresh herbs.
$59
Barolo DOCG del Comune di la Morra 2020
This Barolo is a flagship wine they have made since the 1950s. This is the wine from outside the Barolo DOCG that was grandfathered in.
100% Nebbiolo, they note rose, violet, red berries, grapefruit, and licorice and suggest hearty meals like roasted beef or lamb.
I will dive into a beef and gorgonzola dish, perhaps steak with a gorgonzola sauce. Or Agnolotti del Plin filled with braised beef in a gorgonzola sauce.
$59
Pomorossa Nizza DOC 2021
This is their Barbera from Nizza that they have been producing since 1984. It is named for an apple tree on the top of the hill where the vineyards are located.
This wine spends 14 months in oak and is their most prestigious Barbera.
They mention notes of red fruit, cocoa, balsamic, and eucalyptus in their tasting notes.
They recommend pairing it with lamb in pastry, Bettelmatt cheese from northern Italy, or pumpkin tortello.
We’ve been on a bit of a pasta kick here lately, so if this is in my box, I will be making a pumpkin pasta of some sort.
$69
**Update***
I was able to pick up the wines on Monday morning. In my box were the beautiful Pomorossa Nizza DOC 2021 Barbera and the Barolo DOCG del Comune di la Morra 2020.
This coincides with the weather chilling here in Vegas, so I am looking forward to creating two dishes for pairing that will be delicious warm and cozy with these wines!
I have settled on the dishes, but there might be some fine-tuning with the recipes.
With the Barolo, we will do a Braised Beef Agnolotti with a gorgonzola sauce.
With the Barbera, a pumpkin fettuccini, with a pumpkin bolognese.
Are you drooling yet? Watch for the links to the articles and recipes. I will add them here!
More to come!
Well, I believe the wine was delivered late on Thursday. Sadly, it was too late for me to pick it up, and today (Friday) is Nevada Day, so the offices are closed. Monday, I should have the wines in hand, and I look forward to updating this post next week with our recipes and pairings for the 2 wines we receive!
Until then…you can enjoy my colleagues’ posts!
Coppo Wine Cellars Discoveries by our World Wine Travel Writers
Our writers were provided samples of a variety of Coppo Wine Cellars wines, so you’ll see a variety of ideas in our posts below:
• Camilla from Culinary Cam says “Let’s Talk About Cortese and Barbera Grapes: Two Wines from the Historical Underground Wine Cellars of Coppo + Pairings”
• David from Cooking Chat shares “Pairings for Coppo Barbera and Moscato d’Asti “
• Payal from Keep the Peas shares “Coppo Winery 2023 Chardonnay ‘Costebianche’ x Vegetarian Punjabi Food”
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass shares “Two Piedmont classics: Nizza Barbera and Moscato d’Asti “
• Jennifer from Vino Travels shares “The Historic Coppo winery of Piedmont and their UNESCO underground wine cellars”
• Terri at Our Good Life shares “Pairings with Nizza Barbera and Coppo Monteriolo Chardonnay”
• Martin at Enofylz Wine Blog shares “Historic Wines, Timeless Pairings: Coppo’s Nizza Barbera and Barolo with Wild Mushroom Risotto”
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator shares “From Coppo’s UNESCO Cellars: Nizza and Gavi Paired with Shrimp Ceasar and Duck with Winter Squash Gratin”
• Lynn at Savor the Harvest shares “Chardonnay From One of the Oldest Family-Run Wineries in Italy – Coppo”
• Susannah from Avvinare shares “Coppo Shows Piedmont’s Diversity”
• Jeff at Food Wine Click! shares “Dinner with Coppo Wine Cellars Flagship ‘Pomorosso’ Nizza Barbera”
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine and WSET 3 Certified. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
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