Ezio Poggio

Siblings Ezio, an oenologist, and Mary Poggio are the third generation of their family to farm in the Borbera Valley, located in the Apennines on the borders of Liguria, Emilia Romagna and Lombardy. In Roman times viticulture was a widespread here, but that changed after the Second World War when many farmers left to work in the cities. The zone is best known for Barbera, but more recently there has been a renaissance of the local white Timorasso grape. Ezio is part of a growing legion of Timorasso evangelists who believe that this grape, from this place, makes wines to be reckoned with. The high altitude vineyards with calcerous clay soil, and maritime influence from the Ligurian Sea make this a unique microclimate. The large diurnal range can produce highly aromatic grapes. Ezio and Mary started working with local farms and planting new vineyards in 2003 and are in the process of gaining organic certification. At the same time they campaigned for a DOC in the valley. Their first harvest was 2008, and the Terre di Libarna sub-zone was recognised as part of Colli Tortonesi DOC in 2011. Ezio vinifies and ages in stainless steel to preserve fruit purity. But don't think these are simple wines, the character of Timorasso and the valley shine through, giving intense and complex wines with a textured chalkiness, mouthwatering acidity and a long concentrated finish.