Forti del Vento (“strengthened by the wind”), is a name inspired by the castles of the northern part of the Monferrato region in Piedmont, and the winds that blow on the rolling hills of Castelletto D’Orba, but also by the firmness of the passion that guides Marco, Manuela and Tomaso. Lifelong friends, they inherited what was once their grandparents’ land, vineyards, and winemaking knowledge, transforming a traditional winery into an extraordinary laboratory of biodynamic practices applied to winemaking. Fifteen acres are organically certified, planted on hilly terrain at about 900 feet above sea level, following the level lines perpendicular to the slope of the hill, textbook exposure and the ideal stage for cultivation using ancient methods. The grass in the rows is Forti del Vento’s ally, a natural method to combat the erosive action of the rains, promote the balance of substances necessary to the soil, and increase insects and biodiversity. Marco, Manuela and Tomaso have worked hard to restore and recover old Dolcetto vineyards, some of them with rows arranged on light terracing on which the vines grow. The other grapes grown are Barbera, Cortese, Chardonnay, Albarossa which was developed by Prof. Giovanni Dalmasso in 1938 as a crossing between Barbera and Chatus (which Dalmasso thought was a variety of Nebbiolo – Nebbiolo di Dronero); and last but not least, the Nibiö, an ancestor of the historical Dolcetto grape that was only grown in small parts of the Alessandria province and that was at risk of extinction due to its low productivity. Just one rule in the cellar: Do not remove or add anything to the wine! Let it be the expression of the vineyard. Fermentation takes place in an old country house where Forti del Vento works with stainless steel tanks in a controlled temperature environment, as well as in amphoras to preserve the evolution of indigenous yeasts. In addition to that, there is an old underground cellar, where they keep the (used) wooden barrels for wine aging. They occasionally replace the oldest barrel in rotation to make sure that the aging wine fully reflects their “natural” winemaking philosophy. “In our wines you find our way of being and thinking. We like to be wine growers, but also drink good wine. Our goal is to bring the taster back to everything that is behind the wine: work, respect for the place, and the vine it comes from.” – Forti del Vento.