Quando guardiamo l’uva il primo pensiero che ci sfiora è proprio quello del vino!

Ma l’uva in realtà non è così scontata e tantomeno la sua trasformazione.

Per millenni, e in luoghi diversi del mondo, il vino è stato prodotto, consumato e conservato in modi e recipienti diversi.

Gli antichi romani, ad esempio, usavano conservarlo in anfore di terracotta; lo allungavano spesso con dell’acqua e lo aromatizzavano con spezie e/o miele.

Noi siamo abituati oggi a vederlo così, sottoforma di bottiglia da 0.75 l.

Questo perché la resa media per un chilogrammo di uva è proprio 0.75 l di mosto (naturalmente dipende da molteplici fattori, dal tipo ti vitigno all’annata).

Esiste anche una magica coincidenza: la capacità polmonare dei soffiatori di bottiglie del ‘700 era proprio di 0.75 l.

Coincidenza o magia, oggi 0.75 l è il formato standard della bottiglia di vino.

E il resto che fine fa? Beh, dell’uva non si butta via proprio niente!

Il raspo, che non viene più tenuto in macerazione come una volta, può essere sapientemente impiegato come concime organico.

Le vinacce vengono conferite in distilleria per la produzione di grappa di qualità. E la vinaccia stessa, una volta esausta, può diventare concime o combustibile organico.

Persino i semi trovano il loro posto in questo ciclo, donando il pregiato olio di vinacciolo, ricco di antiossidanti e polifenoli (proprio come l’uva!) e con proprietà emollienti e nutrienti.

Il ciclo rinnovabile dell’uva segna il ritmo annuale della viticultura, che Marenco segue ormai da più di 100 anni.

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When we look at grapes, the very first thought that comes to mind is wine!

But grapes are not as simple as they may seem, nor is their transformation.

For thousands of years, and in different parts of the world, wine has been produced, consumed, and stored in many different ways and containers.
The ancient Romans, for example, used to store it in terracotta amphorae; they often diluted it with water and flavored it with spices and/or honey.

Today, we are used to seeing it like this: in a 0.75-liter bottle.
This is because the average yield from one kilogram of grapes is about 0.75 liters of must (of course, this depends on many factors, from the grape variety to the vintage).

There is also a curious coincidence: the lung capacity of 18th century glassblowers was about 0.75 liters.
Coincidence or magic, today 0.75 liters is the standard size of a wine bottle.

And what happens to the rest? Well, nothing from the grape goes to waste!

The stems, which are no longer left to macerate as they once were, can be skillfully used as organic fertilizer.
The pomace is sent to distilleries for the production of high-quality grappa. And once exhausted, it can still be used as fertilizer or organic fuel.

Even the seeds find their place in this cycle, yielding valuable grapeseed oil, rich in antioxidants and polyphenols (just like grapes!) and known for its emollient and nourishing properties.

The renewable cycle of the grape sets the annual rhythm of viticulture, one that Marenco has followed for more than 100 years.

L'articolo DELL’UVA NON SI BUTTA VIA NIENTE! proviene da Marenco Vini.

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Producing quality Moscato is anything but trivial. Moscato is a pillar of the history and tradition of the Monferrato area, and Moscato di Strevi is even more so, blending the grape variety’s characteristics with those unique to the Bagnario Valley; here, Marenco produces Scrapona.

Terpenes, aromatic substances found free in the grape, characterize the aromatic profile of Moscato Bianco, which we can enjoy both by tasting a fresh bunch and a glass of Scrapona.

Fermentation is interrupted after a short period of time to preserve the must’s natural sugars, which balance perfectly with the grape’s intrinsic freshness.

In the past, so called “Dutch bags,” thick cotton filters, halted the fermentation process.

Today, we lower the temperature and use more efficient filters. Furthermore, the carbon dioxide released during fermentation is retained in the wine. The result is a wine that combines sweetness, aromatic intensity, low alcohol content, and a creamy foam in the glass.

But what makes Moscato di Strevi even more unique are the calcareous marl soils and the maritime microclimate created by its proximity to the Ligurian Sea. These characteristics give the grapes a unique freshness and minerality, resulting in incomparable longevity and extraordinary balance:

a pleasantly thirst-quenching wine that pairs well with food, both sweet and savoury.

The “Scrapona Family Collection” was created precisely because of the longevity of Moscato di Strevi:

Some bottles of Scrapona are placed in our vault every year to age for a minimum of four years in the bottle. The result is a Moscato with perfectly preserved foam, but with more complex and enveloping aromas and flavors.

Quality takes time, passion, consistency, and patience, from the vineyard to the bottle.

And Marenco knows this; they’ve been doing it for 100 years.

L'articolo MOSCATO, DOLCE MOSCATO! proviene da Marenco Vini.

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Zana isn’t just a vineyard. It’s a project born from research, care, and attention. It is a CRU of the designation NIZZA DOCG.

The long tradition of Marenco wines, rooted in sweet aromatics, has also found expression in the excellence of Barbera, especially starting from the 1970s. A tradition that has always kept pace with the times, so much so that after the creation of the NIZZA DOCG appellation in 2014, formed from a subzone of the Barbera d’Asti appellation, Marenco embarked on a new journey. 

This journey found its first spark in 2019, with the identification of a small vineyard in Castel Boglione (AT), near Nizza Monferrato, part of the cru Zana. One of the highest vineyards in the area, at over 400 meters above sea level, with a southern exposure, predominantly sandy soil, and vines approximately 30 years old.

All essential ingredients for the finesse, elegance, and expressive power that this Barbera unleashes in the glass. 

From this vineyard we produce our Nizza Riserva Zana, which year after year brings us hard work but above all satisfaction.

For Marenco, the hard work is rewarded with quality and the satisfaction of a tradition rooted in passion, dedication, and innovation.

L'articolo ZANA: NON SOLO UNA VIGNA proviene da Marenco Vini.

We live in an era of rapid innovation. Every year, a new car model comes out. Every six months, a new smartwatch promises to change our way of life. A line of perfumes, a new spirit, a limited-edition pair of sneakers: it only takes a few months to go from an idea to a finished product.

But wine—real wine—has a completely different pace. And precisely in this slowness, in the patience needed to bring it to the glass, lies its deepest value.

Pace of the vineyard, not of the factory.

Designing a car takes about 2-3 years. A new smartwatch can hit the market in less than 12 months. A spirit? Sometimes it only takes 6 months to develop a new recipe and bottle it. For a new wine, however, the timeframe is radically different.

There are no shortcuts. There are no prototypes. Only nature exists.

It all starts in the vineyard. A new label is born from an idea, of course—like all products—but then it must pass through the soil, the climate, and the hands of our winemakers. If the wine calls for a grape variety that isn’t already cultivated, new rows must be planted: and here the timeframe increases dramatically. A vine takes about three years to bear its first fruit, but to obtain quality grapes for great wine, at least five to seven years are needed.

At that point, the first vinification can be carried out. Then we taste. We think. We consider whether the wine has personality, balance, elegance. Whether it can truly represent the winery. Whether it is worthy of bearing our name.

Only after these steps—which can last up to 10 years—is bottling possible. Then there’s more time: for aging, to understand the evolution in the bottle, to define the label, the tone of the narrative, its identity. Every detail counts, because a wine isn’t changed every six months. A wine lasts.

The difference between a launch and a story

The time to market for an industrial product is tied to demand and competitiveness. The time to market for a wine, on the other hand, is tied to the rhythm of nature, the identity of the territory, and fidelity to our history.

A new Marenco wine isn’t created to “shock the market,” but to endure, year after year, harvest after harvest. It’s born from intuition, experiments, and trials in the vineyard and cellar. But above all, it stems from a simple idea: to create something meaningful for our territory, for Monferrato, and for those who have chosen us for generations.

And in this sense, we are in no rush.

L'articolo TIME TO MARKET proviene da Marenco Vini.

L’uva non è semplicemente matura o acerba, ma va incontro a un processo molto complesso, che coinvolge fasi anche molto diverse.

Durante la maturazione aumenta la concentrazione di zuccheri, mentre diminuisce gradualmente quella di acidi (la cosiddetta maturazione tecnologica):

per uve destinate alle basi spumante si manterrà un rapporto acidi-zuccheri orientato verso l’acidità; per il nostro Moscato d’Asti invece ci sarà equilibrio.

La maturazione fenolica coinvolge le sostanze appunto fenoliche, ossia gli antociani, responsabili del colore dei grappoli, e i tannini che fungono da antiossidanti naturali. La maturazione aromatica, fondamentale per il nostro Moscato e Brachetto, avviene quando si raggiunge il picco dei terpeni, che donano i profumi unici dei vini Strev, Scrapona e Pineto.

Un territorio è definito vocato alla viticoltura quando le maturazioni tecnologiche, fenoliche ed aromatiche tendono a coincidere.

Quando l’esperienza ci dice che il momento è arrivato vengono raccolti dei campioni per le analisi di laboratorio. In base ai risultati, e all’imprescindibile degustazione degli acini, si procede con la vendemmia vera e propria. Oppure si attende ancora qualche giorno e si ripetono analisi ed assaggi.

Ondate di caldo, temporali, sbalzi di temperatura, stagioni imprevedibili: la raccolta dei preziosi grappoli è una vera sfida che fonda le proprie radici nel lavoro, nell’esperienza e nella scienza. La maturazione perfetta è un attimo, che va assecondato e colto.

Con sapienza Marenco prosegue questo cammino complesso e affascinante.

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Here we are, like every year, our carts are filled with ripe and fragrant bunches of grapes. But not simply ripe. Because to make a good wine, the grapes must reach a specific level of ripeness, depending on the grape variety and the type of wine desired.

Grapes aren’t simply ripe or unripe; they undergo a highly complex process involving many different phases.

During ripening, the sugar concentration increases, while the acid concentration gradually decreases (known as technological ripeness). For grapes intended for sparkling wine bases, the acid-sugar ratio will be maintained, skewing toward acidity; for our Moscato d’Asti, however, there will be a balance.

Phenolic ripeness involves phenolic substances, namely anthocyanins, responsible for the color of the grapes, and tannins, which act as natural antioxidants. Aromatic ripening, crucial for our Moscato and Brachetto, occurs when the terpenes reach their peak, giving the unique aromas of our Strev, Scrapona, and Pineto wines.

A territory is considered suitable for viticulture when technological, phenolic, and aromatic ripeness tend to coincide.

When experience tells us the right moment has arrived, samples are collected for laboratory analysis. Based on the results, and the essential tasting of the grapes, the actual harvest begins.

Or we wait a few more days and repeat the analyses and tastings. Heat waves, storms, temperature swings, unpredictable seasons: harvesting these precious grapes is a true challenge rooted in hard work, experience, and science. Perfect ripeness is a moment, which must be nurtured and embraced. Marenco wisely continues this complex and fascinating journey.

L'articolo L’ATTIMO DELLA VENDEMMIA proviene da Marenco Vini.

Un momento di fondamentale importanza per i viticoltori, che monitorano con cura e costanza questa fase.

L’invaiatura, infatti non è un fenomeno soltanto visivo, ma indica l’inizio e l’evolversi della maturazione del frutto, con la migrazione degli zuccheri dai tralci agli acini e l’accumulo di acido malico e tartarico, nonché dello sviluppo delle sostanze pigmentose nelle bucce:

varietà di uva bianche, infatti, passano dal verde della clorofilla a sfumature gialle e dorate, caratteristiche dei carotenoidi;

varietà a bacca nera sviluppano gli antociani, responsabili delle profonde tonalità rosse e tendenti al viola, nonché potenti antiossidanti naturali.

A seconda del vitigno cambia l’epoca dell’invaiatura. Nelle nostre valli a Strevi il primo a colorarsi è il Brachetto.

La tradizione contadina conta circa 40 giorni dall’inizio dell’invaiatura per vendemmiare. E, nonostante le tecniche moderne ci permettano di iniziare la raccolta delle uve al momento più opportuno, l’invaiatura segna in ogni caso l’inizio del conto alla rovescia: un’altra vendemmia Marenco, la centesima, sta per arrivare.

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It is always worth enjoying a refreshing stroll through the vineyards, regardless of the season. And every moment of the year offers different landscapes. Now the lush vineyards start to blend in different shades: it is time for veraison, when the grapes start to change color.

An essential moment for winemakers, who monitor with care and perseverance this phase.

Veraison, in fact, isn’t just a visual phenomenon, but it indicates the beginning and progression of the grape ripening, with the migration of sugar from the shoots to the berries and the accumulation of tartaric and malic acids, as well as the development of the pigments in the skins:

white grape varieties fade from clorophyll green to yellow and golden tones, typical of carotenoids;

red varieties develop anthocyanins, responsible for the deep red and purple hues, which are also powerful antioxidants.

The timing of veraison varies depending on the grape variety. In our valleys in Strevi the first to become colorful is Brachetto.

Rural tradition counts about 40 days from the start of veraison to harvest. And, although mordern techniques allow us to begin harvesting at the most suitable time, veraison nevertheless marks the start of the count down: another Marenco harvest, the hundtredth, is about to arrive.

L'articolo L’INVAIATURA proviene da Marenco Vini.