Germano

From growers to estate winemakers

The Germano family’s story is rooted in Cerretta, one of the menzioni geografiche aggiuntive of the Barolo hills. The family had long worked as winegrowers, farming vines and selling grapes rather than bottling its own production.

1975: establishment of the farm

Ettore established the agricultural enterprise in 1975. This marked the formal beginning of the estate that would later bear his name on its bottles.

The 1980s: Sergio takes over

Sergio succeeded Ettore during the 1980s. Under his direction, the family changed course from grape growing and selling toward producing wine and releasing the first bottles labelled “Ettore Germano.”

1998: the Cigliè project

The family’s move beyond its red-wine roots took shape in the high hills of Cigliè. In 1998 it planted its first parcels of Chardonnay and Riesling Renano there. Further land acquisitions and plantings followed, expanding the Cigliè vineyards to about 12 ha and adding Nascetta, Pinot Nero and Nebbiolo. The site became the source of the estate’s still white wines and Alta Langa DOCG Metodo Classico production.

The new generation

The current family team consists of Sergio, Elena, Elia and Maria. A further generational transition is now taking shape in both vineyard and cellar: Maria directs the winemaking, while Elia divides his work between the vineyards and international commercial activity. Together they are developing the next phase of the family enterprise while Sergio remains its CEO.

Two elevations of the Langa

The vineyards are divided between Serralunga d’Alba and Cigliè, two contrasting settings within the Langa. The estate associates Serralunga with steep inclines, demanding soils, structure and depth, while Cigliè is defined by greater elevation and wind.

Serralunga d’Alba

The Serralunga vineyards lie around 350 m above sea level on calcareous-marly soils containing, in places, small proportions of sand. The estate’s Barolo holdings encompass the Cerretta, Prapò, Lazzarito and Vignarionda MGAs, together with vineyards used for the communal Serralunga d’Alba expression.

The individual sites range from approximately 320 to 400 m. Cerretta is clay-rich and strongly calcareous; Prapò combines clay and limestone with fine sandy or sandstone layers; Lazzarito has calcareous marl with proportions of sand and iron; and Vignarionda is very calcareous and marly, with a slight sandy component also identified in relation to the site.

Cigliè

Cigliè occupies a hill on the right bank of the Tanaro River at approximately 550 m above sea level. Its name derives from the Latin Ciliarum, referring to its position on a high ridge overlooking the river. The terrain includes moraine deposits and calcareous and arenaceous marls, creating stony soils at a markedly higher elevation than Serralunga. Wind and altitude are central features of the site.

These conditions led the family to explore grapes associated with cooler climates. Cigliè now supplies Chardonnay, Riesling Renano, Nascetta, Pinot Nero and Nebbiolo for still white wines and Alta Langa DOCG Metodo Classico.

The estate presents its vineyards as living, demanding terrain rather than static holdings. Its approach is based on close observation, experimentation and adaptation to nature, with the family accepting that growing conditions frequently determine the course of work.

The vineyard geography is deliberately split between two environments: Serralunga d’Alba for Nebbiolo and the estate’s Barolo expressions, and higher, windier Cigliè for Chardonnay, Riesling Renano, Nascetta, Pinot Nero and Nebbiolo. Expansion at Cigliè proceeded through new land purchases and successive vineyard plantings after the first Chardonnay and Riesling Renano parcels were established in 1998.

Grapes for several cellar selections are harvested by hand and transported in small baskets. The oldest identified vines are in Lazzarito, averaging about 90 years, while Cerretta averages approximately 50 years and Prapò approximately 45 years.

The cellar philosophy is built around observation, measurement and experimentation rather than a single immutable recipe. The family treats production as an evolving process shaped by repeated trials, successful experiments, mistakes and subsequent adjustments.

The range follows two principal production paths. Nebbiolo and the other red varieties are rooted in Serralunga d’Alba, where vertical stainless-steel fermentation vessels and oak maturation form part of the cellar’s working vocabulary. Depending on the vineyard selection, the estate uses different maceration lengths, daily pump-overs and, in some cases, délestage; malolactic fermentation precedes maturation in oak vessels of different ages and capacities.

Cigliè supports the estate’s still white wines and traditional-method sparkling wines. Pinot Nero and Chardonnay are brought together within the Metodo Classico programme, while Riesling Renano and Nascetta broaden the still-white production. The estate’s production outlook explicitly embraces these white varieties as a deliberate departure from an exclusively Nebbiolo-based identity.