This San Silvestro, Piemonte, Appassimento, Barbera is a rich and velvety wine, with ripe blueberry, cherry jam and toasty biscuit flavours. Its well-balanced palate and tannins offer an elegant and persistent taste. Enjoy with grilled meats, lamb or cheese for a delicious meal.

About the Producer

Established in 1871, San Silvestro has produced DOC and DOCG wines from its estate winery in the Commune of Novello, in Piedmont. The traditional varieties are mostly grown in the Langhe and from vineyards found in the Roero and the Monferrato regions. Founded by Giovanni Sartirano, San Silvestro and has been passed down through four generations and today, it is run by cousins Paolo and Guido Sartirano. Following the family traditions and ethos, they hold the Equalitas certification for their sustainably cultivated vineyards and produce modern wines which express the traditional varieties of the Piedmont region and its distinctive terroir. Over the years San Silvestro has gradually expanded beyond the local market and their award-winning wines are internationally recognised.

Vineyard and Winery

The Barbera grapes for this ‘appassimento’ method wine come from the northern banks of Tanaro River, in Piedmont. The site was chosen specifically, as the soils are sandy and dry with good mineral content which do not require much treatment. The cooler climate of the area, (compared to the traditional Langhe area) and the influence of the Tanaro River creates a specific microclimate which suits this method of production. The cooler climate also naturally reduces the need for treatments, which are only used when absolutely necessary. The Barbera variety produces rich and textured fruit, and this site produces grapes with a naturally enhanced sugar concentration, a strong character and a delicately spicy element. The grapes are hand-harvested into small, wooden baskets which are then stacked on top of each other to form ‘columns’ and placed in a fruit shed, which provides the perfect conditions to dry-age the whole-clusters of grapes and concentrate the sugars.

Once the grapes were air-dried, they were carefully sorted, gently crushed and destemmed. Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperatures of 28 to 30°C. Maceration on the skins lasted for two weeks, with daily pump-overs of the cap, ensuring the desired levels of extraction of colour and flavours. 30% was matured in French oak tonneaux of second-use for six months.