La Colombera
THE QUEEN OF TIMORASSO
lisa semino is the owner and winemaker at la Colombera, a family estate as her father and her brother are also part of the adventure. the winery is located in Vho, a village in the Colli tortonesi area and is producing several wines even if the most famous is made with timorasso. this white type of grape is the symbol of the region : robust and pleasant during youth, it is also possible to age timorasso to appreciate its minerality, balance and intensity. in the 90s, elisa semino was part of a small team of winemakers to believe in this varietal : it shows her amazing dedication and personality as today timorasso is a must taste !
Could you introduce yourself and explain why you have decided to become a winemaker?
Vertdevin:
Elisa Semino: I am Elisa from La Colombera. Wine is my passion. But it is also a family tradition. My grandfather arrived to the region in 1937, he was a peasant, so making wine is a tradition of our family. We are in the Colli Tortonesi area, in La Colombera. My grandfather planted the vineyards here and my father started making wine. 30 years ago we switched to bottling our wine, instead of selling it in bulk.
What are distinctive characteristics of your wines? How do you recognize them in a blind tasting?
E.S.: Our style is about elegance and purity. They reflect the terroir and the vintage. Our winemaking is very simple, for our white wines we do not use oak not to mask the variety.
What are your future projects for the winery?
E.S.: In 2017 we bought a new vineyard, 15 ha in Sarezzano, we have already started planting there and continue planting it this year with Timorasso. We have a big project in Cascina Marchetta where we have bought 1 ha of Timorasso and some incredible vineyards of Monleale Barbera. It is a unique terroir and there is a water reserve. We also have a new project for a tasting room as we would like to be able to welcome more people here and speak about our wines directly to consumers.
Could you tell us more about Timorasso?
E.S.: Timorasso is very important for us, though we also grow other grapes. Colli Tortonesi is a border region, we are close to Gavi, Oltrepò Pavese and Liguria. But Timorasso is unique for the area and our region is associated with this grape, that is very important. Our Derthona Timorasso is elegant, clean, fine and with ageing arrives the minerality. Timorasso needs time in a bottle.
Could you talk about your terroir?
E.S.: We have clay soil here but there are different types of clay. In some parts we have calcareous, white clay, in others – there is red clay which contains iron. Marl, the limestone clay, is the best for Timorasso.
Thanks to Elisa Semino for sharing her passion.
Valeria Tenison
La Colombera strada Comunale Vho, 7 tortona (alessandria) - italy
lacolomberavini.it