The roots
The Nebbiolo grape, deep-rooted since ancient times in the gentle slopes of the Langhe hills in Alba area, found in Barbaresco village unique personality and features in the world. Roagna family, wine-makers since generations, is passing down from father to son the historical procedures and techniques, in keeping with the grape tradition.
Yesterday
Roagna family have been dealing with wine-growing and winery activity for over a century and a half, when the traditional wine-making style was started. Vincenzo, the grand-grandfather, owned the historical winery situated in the centre of the small Barbaresco village and after having harvested the grapes at the earliest foggy days (Nebbiolo comes from "nebbia" the Italian word for fog) he made wine in wood vats: this happened yesterday and it is still happening today. Years later, Giovanni Roagna and Maria Candida, moved the winery to the I Paglieri (Pajé) farm, seeing in that hill one of the highest expression of the territory.
Today
When Alfredo Roagna finished his agricultural science studies he supported his father with the help of his wife Luigina; he tried out new techniques and he strived for the utmost identity of the terroir. The innovative techniques made a great and important contribution, especially in the vineyards, allowing in 1990 the business growth with the purchase of the five hundred years old Cascina Pira in Rocche di Castiglione Falletto. The land is cultivated, as all our vineyards, directly by the family members themselves.
At the end of '90 Luca, the fifth wine-maker generation, joined his parents in the company. Soon the restoration of the historic Cascina Pira started to build Casa Roagna, a meeting place between lovers of traditional-style wines and our family.
We will sadly remind the 2006 as the most difficult year of our history, due to the death of Giovanni in April and Luigina in August.
Since the second half of 1800 up to date five generations of our family have been working to create unique wines. The experience and a constant research of quality have given rise to a proper production philosophy, strictly connected to Roagna personality and lifestyle.
The new ideas and the teachings donated by the wine are passed down from father to son, from generation to generation. We have to talk about philosophy, because the bond between wine and people is so strong to make it unique.
We describe our style as traditional and innovative, constantly searching the utmost quality in accordance with our history. Techniques improve every year, yet we maintain our traditional and typical character.
In a Roagna wine the autochthonous features (grape and terroir) play a key role with their strong structure and sensory richness. It is crucial to respect the Nature, the mother of the grape that will give us a long-lasting and notable wine.
Neither chemical nor organic fertilizers are used in our vineyards and we do allow a constant grassing. We believe that a careful grassing keeps "alive" the land and in line with the fauna, assuring a unique identity to Roagna wines.
We only use sulphur and copper-based product in our vineyard, as we did one century ago, because we want to protect the environment. We are sure that the marriage between the fruits of nature and careful and traditional winery techniques can product an autochthonous and unique wine, that is a wine having no equal in the world.