La Colombera da Pier Carlo Semino

The Semino family wine estate, La Colombera, is one of Piedmont's rising stars. Based in the village of Vho, among the pretty, calcareous clay hills of Tortona, it's a third generation, 22 ha property planted with the white wine grape Timorasso, and red grapes Barbera, Croatina & Dolcetto; all within a mile of the winery.

In 1998 they took the step of buying their vineyards before bottling their first vintage in 1999; a new cantina/winery was installed & to cap it all, in 2000 daughter Elisa, returned from her viticultural studies in Milan to join her brother Lorenzo, father Piercarlo & mother Luisa. When not bottling peaches with her mother, Elisa's setting a demanding pace, being responsible for an exciting range of wines.

Their flagship wines, young vine Derthona (approx. 1000 cases/annum) & older vine Il Montino (350 cases), are made from the Timorasso grape, an indigenous grape rightly being revived. Neither wine sees oak, nor undergoes any malolactic conversion; the style being somewhere being Savennieres & Chablis.