Nizza: Barbera on the old seabed
North-west to south-east from the sandy ridge at Vinchio, down the bricchi to Nizza Monferrato and the Belbo, and up into the marl hills beyond. Tap a layer to read it.
Swipe the plate sideways to see the whole section.
Schematic. The sequence (Sant'Agata Fossili marl, then the Messinian gypsum-bearing marls, then Pliocene blue clay and the Sabbie di Asti) is the standard stack of the southern Asti basin, drawn here dipping gently north-west toward Asti. The contacts are hand-placed: we have not checked them against the ISPRA sheet for this exact line, and the gypsum may be thin or missing here. Ground from AWS terrain data along Vinchio to the hills south-east of Nizza. Line: 44.812 N 8.316 E to 44.737 N 8.405 E. Castello di Perno's Bricco is placed by commune only: the exact hill is not known to us, so the dashed band and the rock under it are a guide, not a survey. Check with the grower and the Associazione Produttori del Nizza map.
5 layers, youngest at the top
Single vineyards we pour from. Tap one on the plate.
What makes a Nizza
- Barbera only, from 18 communes around Nizza Monferrato, and a longer wait than Barbera d'Asti: 18 months before release, six in wood.
- Only well-exposed hill slopes qualify, south-east round to south-west by most accounts; the damp valley floors are left out.
- Barbera keeps its natural acidity here even when fully ripe; the marl adds depth and colour.
- Where Pliocene sand caps the ridges the wines turn more fragrant and lighter; on clay and marl they gain colour and grip.
Did you knowNizza began as a sub-zone of Barbera d'Asti Superiore. It became a DOCG of its own from the 2014 vintage, and the first bottles labelled Nizza DOCG came out in July 2016.
Pas Mal wines on this ground
Castello di Perno: Nizza, cru Bricco
- Nizza DOCGCastello di Perno
Sources: Associazione Produttori del Nizza, press kit 2025 (communes); ilnizza.net producer pages (Vinory, Saline soils); Gambero Rosso and Il Fatto Quotidiano on the DOCG; Siviaggia on ageing rules; Wikipedia, Nizza DOCG (exposures, valley floors); WineNews on the Piedmont Miocene and Pliocene; Vigna et al. 2010, Messinian gypsum karst in the Monferrato; Marc de Grazia, Castello di Perno Nizza; Castello di Perno grower data; AWS Terrain Tiles.