The history of Malvira’ starts in 1950s, with a dream of Guiseppe Damonte to produce wines that reflect the essence of the land of Roero. Nowadays, the third generation of the Damonte family shares the same philosophy and, inspired by the terroir of Roero, produces wines that express its uniqueness. In the vineyard and in the cellar, the production methods aim to respect the terroir and express the sense of place in its wines. From 2017 the estate is certified organic.
VertdeVin: You are in the heart of La Morra. Could you describe the particularities of your terroir?
Roberto Damonte: Our vineyard in La Morra is called Boiolo, and it lies 400 m above sea level. Before, this terroir was not warm enough to produce Barolo, but now with climate change, it has become very interesting. Even in the last years, we did not have problems with high temperatures, and even drought was not a big deal in that plot. We are fortunate to have a young vineyard planted in 2007 at this place. In Roero, which is the most significant part of our production, the terroir is entirely different. In contrast to La Morra, where soils are clay-limestone, in Roero, we have sandy soils, the problems with drought are very significant as the terrain is too well-draining. The issue primarily concerns white grapes. Last year we saw that the bunches were almost 50% smaller than usual, with the same parameters of sugar and acidity but obviously much lower yield. I think this is how the vines adapted to climate change. With the reds, we don’t experience many difficulties; they produce high-quality and good yield even in dry years.
Malvira’ are the experts on Arneis. Could you tell us about the variety?
R.D.: Arneis is a local grape with a long history in our area. The first mention of it was found in our commune, Canale, and dates back to 1478. At that time, the grape was bearing by its Latin name – Renesium, which was the name of the grape but also the name of a hill, a cru belonging to the local noble family – Conti Roero. Today this plot (Renesio) belongs to us, so we are lucky to own this historical place connected to Arneis. Later the grape almost disappeared, and it was only in the 1970s that
some pioneers started to replant the vineyards, and today the area produces around 7.000.000 bottles per year. The acidity of Arneis is compatible with the one of Chardonnay, but it tolerates the heat much better and ripens 2-3 weeks later. Before, Arneis was planted even on south-facing slopes. Today, we prefer to grow it on the north and east-facing slopes to keep freshness and acidity. And also, we need to choose the picking date carefully so the sugars do not go too high.
Could you say a few words about the philosophy of your winery?
R.D.: Malvira’ is a family business started by ourfather. My brother and I joined the family winery in the 1970s after finishing the Enological School of Alba. Since that time, we have managed to grow our production. First, many families decided
not to continue producing wine, so it was easy for us to create a collage of small vineyards. In contrast to Barolo, the land prices in our area are still reasonable, so we managed to reach 40 ha in production in the course of years. We produce around 280.000-300.000 bottles annually, equally split between whites and reds. In 2014 we started the organic conversion, and 2017 was our first organically certified vintage. We started primarily because of egoistic considerations: all our family works in the winery, so we wanted a clean environment for our children and grand-children. Then we also have a guest house, so for
tourists visiting us, it is also essential. And later, organic certification also became necessary for marketing and sales, especially in Northern Europe, and this understanding of ecological consuming is also slowly coming to Italy.
Thanks to Roberto Damonte for sharing his time and passion.
Valeria Tenison
Azienda Agricola
Malvirà dei F.lli Damonte
Via Case Sparse, 144 – Loc. Canova
12043 – Canale d’Alba (Cuneo), Italy
www.malvira.com
