The Italy Wine Project

Regions / Piedmont

DOCStill huntingNear impossible

Cisterna d'Asti DOC

A small DOC on the sandy hills where Roero meets Asti, built around Croatina, the grape better known as Bonarda in Oltrepò Pavese. Here it makes a deep purple, soft, fruit-forward red: blackberry, plum, violet and a faint bitter-cherry finish, low acid for Piedmont and mild tannin. Best drunk young with local salami. A few local estates bottle it; almost none export.

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If you make Cisterna d'Asti, import it, or know who does, the form takes two minutes and I reply to every one.

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Bottles I'm chasing

ProducerWinePriceBuy
Vincenzo Bossotti
Cisterna d'Asti
Organic grower with a small US importer (Lieu-Dit), fresh blackberry and violet Croatina; the most realistic US option.
$18 to $25Wine-Searcher
Carlin de Paolo
Cisterna d'Asti
San Damiano d'Asti estate that also makes Terre Alfieri, soft plummy Croatina; mainly Italy.
$12 to $18Wine-Searcher