Timorasso, Lombardy
Timorasso is an ancient indigenous white grape variety, present above all in the Colli Tortonesi area, on the border between Piedmont and Lombardy. Before the phylloxera crisis, it was widespread, not only in the territory of Tortona, but also in the nearby Piedmontese provinces of Novara and Alessandria. In the reconstruction of the post-phylloxera vineyards, more generous and constant grape varieties were preferred in production, such as Cortese and Barbera. The timorasso thus risked disappearing definitively, if it had not been for the tenacity and commitment of a few winemakers, who bet on its potential and its rebirth. Today timorasso is considered one of the most interesting autochthonous white grape varieties of northern Italy, above all for its structure and longevity, which gives tertiary evolutions on the notes of resin and hydrocarbon.
Limited production in terms of quantity, but a great variety of territories and wines. This is what characterizes the winemaking reality of Lombardy, which presents very different productions thanks to a remarkable heterogeneity of the environments, from the mountains to the hills, from the plains to the lakes.
From the great reds of Valtellina to the sparkling wines of Franciacorta and Oltrepò, Lombardy is home to nationally renowned appellations and smaller lesser-known appellations. In this region national and international grapes coexist, giving life to wine products more or less linked to the territory, but always united by a great quality.