REGION | Piemonte
PRACTICES | Practicing Organic
TERROIR | marl and highly compressed sandstone, dating from the Serravallian (named for a village in southeastern Barolo) epoch. All vineyards have southern exposure, critical for ripening barbera. Ligurian ‘Miran’ winds intensify diurnal temperature swings from spring to autumn.

Founded in 1900, Cantina Garitina is the namesake of current ‘vignaioli indipendenti’ Gianluca Morino’s great grandmother Margherita, who’s diminutive ‘Margheritina’ in Piemontese dialect translates as Garitina. Gianluca, the 4th generation, took the reigns in 2000 at only 28 years old, after a career in basketball. Gianluca, like the generations before him, has dedicated his life’s work in viticulture to Barbera. His passion for the grape unrivaled and with singular focus, he’s showing the world that Barbera can achieve the same nobility, ageability, and prestige as Nebbiolo.
The estate lies in Castello Boglione, in the Southern area of the Nizza appellation. Cascina Garitina vinifies only red wines, entirely from their own estate, planted 85% to Barbera with a balance of Brachetto, Dolcetto, Pinot Nero, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The vineyards range from 40 to nearly 100 years old, including a trio of plots planted in 1924, 1949, and 1954, which are vinified separately to highlight each’s unique terroir. All of Garitina’s vineyards sit in a higher elevation of 285 – 420m above sea level, on a mix of sandstone and marl, typical of the southern part of Nizza Monferato. Garitina practices regenerative farming, employing strictly organic practices with absolutely no chemicals to nurture the soil and the vines’ roots.
Full cover of grasses and over 30 other plants are left untamed, creating natural mulch, retaining humidity in soils, and protecting from sun. In the cellar, located in Castello Boglione surrounded by the estate’s plots, cold fermentations are natural with only indigenous yeast, in stainless steel, then maturation in steel and 500 liter Botti Gamba tonneau, matching characteristics of his parcels to French Oak forests. Very low sulphur is added (Barbera Garitta has only 46ppm.) To amplify the freshness of Barbera, the wines are bottled in Screwcap lined with cork to promote a small and controlled flow of oxygen.

After nearly 2 decades campaigning for Nizza’s wines to have their own DOCG, the appellation was created in 2014, comprised of 18 municipalities within Barbera d’ Asti’s 169. Nizza DOCG wines must be 100% Barbera and aged for a minimum of 18 months (six of which must be in wood); Nizza Reserva and Nizza Vigna Reserva must age at least 30 months (12 in wood.) Nizza vineyard designated wines must also meet a lower yield limit of a maximum of 2.5 tons per acre vs. the upper limit of 2.83 tons for Nizza, and chapitalization or using concentrated grape must to boost potential alcohol are prohibited.