Banfi Piemonte

The Bruzzone heritage

Banfi Piemonte preserves the legacy of the historic Bruzzone wine house, established in 1860 and specializing in sparkling wine. This existing Piedmontese expertise became the historical foundation for Banfi’s activity in the region.

1979: the creation of Banfi Piemonte

In 1979, Italian-American brothers John and Harry Mariani acquired Bruzzone and established Banfi Piemonte. Contemporary historical material also records the acquisition of the La Ricchetta estate at Novi Ligure during the same period. The resulting operation united facilities and vineyards around Strevi and Novi Ligure, in the province of Alessandria, and incorporated Piedmont’s established sparkling-wine tradition into the Mariani family’s wine business.

Development from the outset was based on steady growth, fidelity to regional identity and the adoption of new technology. Sparkling wine became its defining specialization, accompanied by still red, white and sweet wines representing the principal denominations of lower Piedmont.

1990–2008: the Alta Langa project

In 1990, Banfi was one of seven historic houses that initiated the Progetto Spumante Metodo Classico in Piemonte, an effort to reaffirm Piedmont’s place in the history of Italian traditional-method sparkling wine. Banfi Brut’s first production also dates to 1990.

The Cuvée Aurora project grew out of this work. Its first vintage was 1997, followed by Cuvée Aurora Rosé in 2005. In 2008, the project achieved Alta Langa DOCG status. The range subsequently expanded with Cuvée Aurora Riserva 100 Mesi, represented by vintages beginning in 2010; Cuvée Aurora Blanc de Noirs, first produced in 2016; and Cuvée Aurora Blanc de Blancs, first produced from the 2019 harvest.

Expansion of the Piedmont portfolio

Principessa Gavia, based on Cortese di Gavi, was first produced in 1995. Rosa Regale Brachetto d’Acqui followed in 2000. La Lus, devoted to Albarossa—the crossing of Barbera and Nebbiolo—began with the 2006 vintage. Sciandor Moscato d’Asti was first produced in 2012. Together with Barbera, Asti and Charmat-method sparkling wines, these projects broadened the estate beyond its traditional-method specialization while retaining a focus on lower Piedmont’s varieties and denominations.

Alberto Lazzarino and the modern winemaking team

Alberto Lazzarino joined Banfi in 2002 after graduating from the Scuola Enologica di Alba and working at Fratelli Martini and Cantina Sociale di Maranzana. As Banfi Piemonte’s long-serving head winemaker in Strevi, he connected his name and technical work with several important projects. He also served as president of the Piedmont section of Assoenologi and participated actively in regional consortia. He died in 2019 after a short illness.

Antonio Massucco subsequently became Head Winemaker of Banfi Piemonte. In 2025, The Drinks Business included him among its 100 Master Winemakers and recognized him in the Best Sparkling category for work highlighting Alta Langa and Cuvée Aurora Riserva 100 Mesi 2012.

Certification, renovation and further development

In 2024, the Piedmont operation obtained Equalitas certification. The Strevi winery has also undergone a recent renovation, retaining its underground cellars while creating dedicated production areas for both Metodo Classico and Charmat wines.

In November 2025, Banfi launched Cuvée Aurora Blanc de Blancs, completing the Alta Langa family. Produced from the 2019 harvest, it filled the remaining stylistic position in the range and reinforced Metodo Classico as the central expression of Banfi Piemonte’s production.

Banfi Piemonte works across lower Piedmont, with its principal base at Strevi and vineyards at Strevi and Novi Ligure. Strevi lies in the province of Alessandria at approximately 150 metres above sea level and has pedoclimatic conditions historically associated with Moscato. The broader estate occupies sunny Piedmontese hills between Novi Ligure and the Acqui area.

The documented vineyard soils vary by zone and variety. Cortese vineyards used for Gavi have calcareous clay-loam soils. Brachetto and Barbera are associated with calcareous-clay soils. Moscato grows on calcareous-silty soils containing grey-blue tuffaceous marl. Alta Langa vineyards have marl-rich calcareous soils with a small clay component; the Blanc de Blancs material further describes calcareous-clay soils rich in tuffaceous marl.

Selected Alta Langa vineyards lie on high hills above 250 metres. These sites supply Pinot Nero and Chardonnay for Metodo Classico production. The wider territory supports both native and international varieties, including Cortese, Brachetto, Barbera, Albarossa, Chardonnay, Pinot Nero and Pinot Meunier.

Water-risk analysis classifies the territories of Strevi and Novi Ligure as medium-high exposure to water stress. Recent growing seasons illustrate the local variability: dry winters can create water deficits, while rainy periods may increase pressure from downy and powdery mildew. Warm, sunny late-season conditions and pronounced day-to-night temperature changes can support aromatic and phenolic ripening.

The vineyard program combines the region’s established varieties with selected international grapes used for traditional-method sparkling wine. Cortese, Brachetto, Barbera and Albarossa are cultivated alongside Chardonnay, Pinot Nero and Pinot Meunier. Guyot is the consistently documented training system.

The Piedmont operation obtained Equalitas certification in 2024. Its environmental approach is framed around respect for the territory, responsible production and the integration of quality with long-term sustainability.

Recent vintage accounts show active canopy and disease management in difficult seasons. Heavy rain in 2024—approximately 800 mm in the first seven months in the Moscato-growing area—increased downy- and powdery-mildew pressure. Timely treatments and vegetation management were used to preserve grape quality. Earlier dry seasons produced water stress, especially in young vineyards and sites exposed to the south and southwest.

Documented planting densities include 4,000 vines/ha for selected Alta Langa vineyards and 4,500 vines/ha for Brachetto, Moscato and Barbera sites. Stated yields range from 80 q/ha for Brachetto to 90 q/ha for Moscato and Barbera, 95 q/ha for Cortese and 110 q/ha for Alta Langa Pinot Nero and Chardonnay.

The Strevi winery

The production center is located at Strevi in the province of Alessandria. Its recently renovated facilities include production areas, storage, autoclaves and underground cellars, with separate spaces for Metodo Classico and Charmat production. Bottles undergoing extended maturation rest underground on pupitres.

Metodo Classico

For the principal traditional-method wines, the base wines are fermented in temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats. The cuvée is then bottled with liqueur de tirage, a mixture containing sugar, minerals and yeast that initiates the second fermentation and formation of the mousse.

The second fermentation takes place in bottle. Depending on the cuvée, documented fermentation temperatures are approximately 13–14°C, while time on lees ranges from 24 months for Banfi Brut to at least 30 months for Cuvée Aurora and its Rosé, 60 months for Blanc de Noirs and Blanc de Blancs, and at least 100 months for Cuvée Aurora Riserva 100 Mesi.

After bottle fermentation, spent yeast and sediment are moved toward the neck by remuage, performed either manually or mechanically. The residue collects in the bidule beneath the crown cap. Manual dégorgement à la volée was historically practiced throughout the cellar and remains in use for special cuvées and unusual bottle formats. In this method, the inverted bottle is opened by hand and quickly righted, using the internal pressure to expel the sediment while limiting wine loss.

Most bottles undergo mechanized dégorgement à la glace. The neck and sediment are frozen with a saline medium at between −25°C and −30°C. The frozen plug is expelled, the bottle can be topped with liqueur d’expédition or dosage where required, and the final cork and wire cage are applied.

Charmat and still wines

Charmat sparkling wines are produced in dedicated autoclaves to preserve fruit, freshness and aromatic intensity. The method is used for lively, youthful sparkling styles and for sweet aromatic wines such as Brachetto and Asti.

Still white and red wines are generally fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel. Documented white-wine fermentations take place at approximately 16–18°C. Barbera is fermented at approximately 24–25°C and remains in steel until the spring after harvest. Albarossa is fermented in temperature-controlled steel and matured for 12 months in French-oak barriques.

Production-site efficiency

In 2020, two condensing boilers replaced older combustion-chamber boilers used to heat the Strevi offices and wine shop. A multi-year conversion to LED lighting was subsequently completed in the Metodo Classico, storage, autoclave and detached warehouse areas.

Banfi Piemonte’s guiding idea is to combine Piedmont’s long-established viticultural and sparkling-wine heritage with research and contemporary production technology. Its project is centered on the denominations of lower Piedmont and on wines that retain a recognizable connection to their varieties and places of origin.

Metodo Classico occupies the central position in this vision. The Alta Langa project seeks a precise Piedmontese interpretation of traditional-method sparkling wine, using selected high-hill vineyards, patient lees maturation and both inherited cellar practices and modern equipment. Charmat production complements this work by emphasizing freshness, fruit and aromatic expression.

The wider Banfi philosophy rests on four stated values: pioneering new paths while respecting local history and communities; research extending from soil and cellar to the market; sharing knowledge through education; and working in harmony with the environment, communities and employees. At Banfi Piemonte, these principles are expressed through technological renewal, Equalitas certification, regional varieties and appellations, and continued investment in the Strevi winery.

The estate presents quality as the product of both tradition and innovation: careful grape selection, appropriate technology, patience during maturation and respect for regional identity. It also treats native and international grapes as complementary resources—Cortese, Brachetto, Barbera and Albarossa alongside Chardonnay and Pinot Nero—rather than opposing approaches.