Since ancient times, maceration has been a key step in preserving the contents of the grapes in the wine that they become.
In the Langhe, when our ancestors made wine they would leave the must in contact with the grape skins for months.
Giovanni Roagna used to draw off his Nebbiolo wines grapes just before Christmas, sometimes waiting even until the January after harvesting. He observed the teachings of his ancestors: battening the barrels.
The ancient technique of battening or submerged cap is practised by completely closing the upper opening of the wooden vats with oak planks, positioning them parallel to one another. The vat is then filled to the top, leaving the skins submerged in the wine (creating the so-called “submerged cap”). This allows the very gentle release of the noble substances contained in the skins.
This method, combined with the speed with which the grapes are processed as soon as they are harvested, and the technique of destemming without crushing, results in more elegant wines, without subjecting the grapes to mechanical stress.
Our wines macerate for an average of 60 to 100 days.
