Walter Massa

In 1978, Walter Massa took charge of Vigneti Massa, his family’s winery in Monleale, established in 1879. Massa was already interested in indigenous varieties and was perturbed by local preoccupations with planting and celebrating international varieties. Massa later began experimenting with atypical vines planted in his established vineyards, which he soon realised was Timorasso. Walter bottled his first varietal Timorasso in 1987, releasing 570 bottles made from just 400 scattered vines. By 2005, 30 Colli Tortonesi growers were producing 120,000 bottles of Timorasso. Massa produced twenty thousand of these bottles and can surely be credited with the grape's revival.

Today, Massa principally farms Timorasso, Barbera and Croatina, managing 30 hectares of cultivated vineyards: 15ha of Timorasso, 8ha of Barbera, 3ha of Croatina, 1.5ha of Freisa and Moscato Bianco, and 1ha of Cortese. The finished wines are high quality, complex and aromatic, and staggeringly undervalued. Despite being popular amongst wine enthusiasts prices have hardly risen appreciably—the ‘top’ Derthona (which is perhaps the best example of this) can be had for hardly more than $40. Readers should indulge whenever they get the chance!