Tenuta La Cova

Family roots and a path into wine

Alessandro Varagnolo’s journey began in Turin. His interest in wine developed through a career in events, during which he formed relationships with restaurateurs and wine producers in the Langhe and Monferrato.

The death of his grandfather, whom he regarded as a father figure, strengthened Alessandro’s connection with his family roots. A formative memory was a family celebration at which his grandfather gave him a glass of Moscato and encouraged him to remember the taste of his heritage. Alessandro subsequently visited the Langhe and Monferrato with increasing frequency, and his commitment to wine deepened despite the prospect of an international career.

He trained as a sommelier and became a Langhe Wine Ambassador through courses at the Barolo & Barbaresco Academy. Encouragement from local producers helped lead him toward the creation of a family wine and hospitality business.

The historic farmhouse and new cellar

Tenuta La Cova occupies a farmhouse dating from the 17th century in the hills of Calamandrana. The building has been refined and adapted as a Wine Country House and as the headquarters of the winery. It also accommodates the new cellar, bringing wine production and hospitality together at the estate.

Tenuta La Cova lies among the green hills of Calamandrana in Alto Monferrato, halfway between Nizza Monferrato and Canelli. These two places form part of the serial UNESCO World Heritage property known as “The Vineyard Landscapes of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato.”

The documented Calamandrana vineyards stand at approximately 250 m above sea level. The Barbera plantings face south-west, while the Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc plantings face north-east. Their soils combine white marls with blue clays.

The wider Monferrato climate is continental, with hot summers and cold winters moderated by the Alps. Marked day-to-night temperature changes support aromatic development. Local variations in exposure and microclimate influence sunlight and ripening while helping the grapes retain natural acidity.

The Calamandrana vineyards are planted at 4,500 vines per hectare and trained to classic Guyot, retaining 6–8 buds. Harvesting is manual, beginning with Chardonnay in the first ten days of September, followed by Sauvignon Blanc in the second ten days and Barbera from the middle of the month.

The broader agricultural programme follows a restorative approach intended to rebuild soil health, biodiversity and ecological balance. Its practices include cover cropping, crop rotation and reduced tillage, with the goals of improving natural soil fertility and water retention, limiting erosion and increasing ecosystem resilience. Agroforestry and traditional agricultural knowledge also form part of the stated restorative model.

The vineyards and wines are certified under the SQNPI, Italy’s National Integrated Production Quality System. Integrated pest management limits pesticide use and incorporates pest antagonists and mating disruption. The business is moving gradually toward conversion to organic farming.

The refined 17th-century farmhouse at Tenuta La Cova serves as the winery headquarters and houses the new cellar. The estate brings production and hospitality together in the same historic rural complex.

Alessandro Varagnolo describes wine as a medium for stories, memories and emotions, an outlook rooted in family experience and his personal connection to Moscato.

The wider project seeks to combine inherited regional traditions with contemporary ideas and technical innovation. Its ambition encompasses both winemaking and hospitality: continual improvement in vinification is paired with the development of a destination where wine, landscape and accommodation form a unified experience.

Environmental responsibility is expressed through restorative agriculture, SQNPI-certified integrated production and a gradual movement toward organic conversion. The agricultural objective extends beyond producing grapes to regenerating the land, strengthening biodiversity and aligning farming with natural ecological cycles.