History
The Drago estate
Bricco Drago formerly belonged to a Ligurian family whose surname was Drago, giving the hill and estate their name. Its present 25-hectare outline is identical to that recorded in Napoleonic-period cadastral maps.
The creation of Bricco del Drago
The Bricco del Drago vineyard was established in 1965. Its poor ground, elevation and constant wind made vine growth difficult, but the resulting Dolcetto showed the structure needed for extended ageing. The estate’s owner, Dr. Luciano Degiacomi, therefore sought the assistance of Beppe Colla. They combined Dolcetto with a modest proportion of Nebbiolo and introduced maturation in wood.
Bricco del Drago has been produced since the 1969 vintage and was presented as the first “Super Vino da Tavola” in Piedmont, and possibly in Italy. In 1987, Presidential Decree No. 196 formally delimited its production area. It was recognized as a Quality Table Wine and became a monopole.
Burgundy and Campo Romano
Tino Colla spent a period studying and working in Burgundy in 1969. After his return, family friend and Cascine Drago owner Luciano Degiacomi wanted to establish a Pinot Nero vineyard at Bricco del Drago.
The project developed between 1975 and 1977. After Tino graduated from the Alba oenological school, Beppe encouraged him to gain experience in Burgundy. Pinot Nero planting material was unavailable from Piedmontese nurseries in 1975, so the vines were purchased and transported directly from Burgundy. Campo Romano was planted in 1977. During excavation, workers uncovered bricks, tiles and amphora fragments associated with a Roman settlement, inspiring the vineyard’s name.
Riesling and the Colla family
Following the Pinot Nero experience, the family decided in 1985 to test a white variety informed by Tino’s French experience. Rhine Riesling was selected for its freshness, minerality and capacity to evolve. The Ranera vineyard was planted in Alba in 1987.
Cascine Drago subsequently became the property of the Colla family. In 1994, the estate became one of the three original wine-growing properties assembled within Poderi Colla when Tino and Federica Colla merged their estates and continued the family enterprise. Beppe Colla also played a foundational role in the new winery, contributing his experience, technical principles and work at Cascine Drago.
The estate today
Cascine Drago now accommodates the family company’s offices and visitor reception spaces. Pietro Colla, an oenology graduate since 2006, is responsible for carrying the family’s viticultural and winemaking work forward, with the stated aim of preserving the wines’ integrity while continually improving quality. Federica Colla oversees financial and logistical coordination, supported by general manager Andrea and Monica in accounting.
Terroir
Cascine Drago occupies the Bricco del Drago hill at San Rocco Seno d’Elvio di Alba, on the edge of the Barbaresco production area. The estate covers 25 ha, including 14 ha under vine, at elevations from 330 to 400 m. Exposure is predominantly western.
The Bricco del Drago vineyard is characterized by poor ground, altitude and constant wind. These conditions make vine growth demanding while giving its Dolcetto the structure and complexity associated with long ageing.
Pian Balbo lies on a summit in a dry, windy position. The Ranera site has a small watercourse at the foot of its hill, creating a habitat where frogs gather and can be heard in the evening. The estate’s individual sites support Dolcetto, Nebbiolo, Pinot Nero and Rhine Riesling.
Winemaking
Viticulture is guided by patience, close knowledge of individual sites and acceptance of nature’s rhythms and risks. Each variety is assigned to the vineyard considered best suited to its needs, and the family’s “one vineyard, one wine” principle favors a limited number of site-specific expressions rather than numerous alternatives.
The land is managed with the goal of keeping it healthy, fertile and rich in life over the long term. Cascine Drago rejects certification as an end in itself and does not claim an organic or biodynamic designation. Harvesting is manual across the documented estate wines. For Metodo Classico production, grapes are allowed to reach balanced, regular ripeness rather than being picked prematurely solely to preserve acidity.
Cascine Drago works with red, white, Metodo Classico and aromatized-wine processes, adapting vinification to the variety and intended expression.
Red grapes are harvested manually, destemmed and crushed. Skin contact ranges from approximately 5–7 days at 22–24°C for shorter-macerated Dolcetto to 8–10 days at around 30°C for Pinot Nero and 10–12 days at up to 28–30°C for Nebbiolo. Malolactic fermentation is completed before winter. Maturation varies between stainless steel and oak barrels, with the oak-aged reds generally resting for about one year.
For the historic Dolcetto–Nebbiolo blend, the two varieties are harvested and vinified separately because they ripen at different times. Dolcetto macerates for approximately 5–8 days at no more than about 25°C, while Nebbiolo macerates for approximately 10–12 days at no more than about 30°C. The wines are blended later and mature in oak barrels for at least one year.
Rhine Riesling is harvested manually and softly pressed. The must settles for 24 hours at 8–10°C before racking, followed by alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel at 20–22°C. Malolactic fermentation is avoided. The wine remains on fine lees for several months, undergoes natural winter refrigeration, is bottled in spring and rests for several additional months in bottle.
Metodo Classico production favors grapes harvested at balanced regular ripeness. Fermentation and ageing in bottle continue for at least two years before disgorgement. The bottle is topped with the same wine, without liqueur d’expédition.
For the family’s aromatized Moscato, the grapes are pressed immediately after harvest. Pure neutral alcohol is added to the must before alcoholic fermentation can begin, preserving the grape’s natural sugar and aromatic character. Herbs and other botanicals—including peels, seeds, roots and inflorescences—are infused separately in alcohol for one to two weeks. Approximately twelve extracts are tested in different combinations before blending. The finished preparation rests and integrates for several months before bottling.
Philosophy
Patience
Agriculture is understood as an exercise in patience: accepting natural rhythms and risks, waiting and working without forcing growth. This outlook is presented as an inheritance from generations whose livelihood depended on the land.
Intuition and experience
Rigid formulas are rejected in favor of instinct supported by intimate knowledge of each vineyard. Several defining decisions arose from this approach, including Beppe Colla’s early commitment to vineyard identity and Tino Colla’s decision to bring Pinot Nero vines from Burgundy.
One vineyard, one wine
Each grape variety is treated as having distinct needs and is planted where the family believes it has the best home. The objective is not to multiply labels but to produce a limited set of vineyard expressions from the sites judged most suitable.
Human wines
The family aims to make wines that it wants to drink: comprehensible, enjoyable, healthy, engaging and capable of ageing. Wine is understood as inclusive and convivial rather than an object intended only for collectors or specialists. Fashion, trends and certification labels are not treated as goals. Respect for the vines and the maintenance of healthy, fertile, living soil form the environmental basis of this outlook.
The broader production principle is to transmit the natural vocation of each hill without allowing human intervention to obscure it, while combining affection for the land with technical competence.