Alberto Oggero’s family skipped a generation when it came to winemaking and again their story is that of thousands of contadini across Italy. Alberto’s parents, aunts and uncles worked in local government or at the enormous Ferrero factory, opting for a secure salary rather than the impoverished, cash-free existence of a rural farm. They worked their land at weekends for subsistence aided by Alberto’s grandfathers, especially Sandro, who took Alberto under his wing and Jesuit-like, turned the youngster into a future vigneron. Alberto is devoted to his grandfathers’ memory and also, proudly, to the high Roero terroir, which it is his aim to capture in bottle. His aim is to make intensely serious Arneis (a grape he thinks is often undervalued) and Nebbiolo with weightless power (Alberto think it’s often overworked).

Oggero is a natural winemaker who is certified organic across his vineyards and the cellar and uses only a minute amount of sulphites and then only just before bottling. But his wines are far from the caricature of a poorly made, unfinished, so-called natural wine. He only uses natural yeasts occurring on the skins of the grapes and is viticulture is so chemical free that he says the ferments can be more vigorous than a cultured yeast. The cellar is a picture with tiny concrete tanks, which enable him to ferment individual parcels. Alberto’s early vineyard adventures riding ancient tractors have paid off handsomely. These wines are pure, elegant terroir expressions that are seductive and immensely satisfying. (CW 29/10/19)