History
Family roots and the foundation in 1891
The Cossetti family has deep roots in Monferrato. In 1891, Giovanni Cossetti transformed the family farm into a winery, establishing the enterprise at a time when the area’s wines were already appreciated beyond their place of origin.
Expansion from the 1920s
Beginning in the 1920s, Giovanni’s son Clemente introduced the family’s wines to markets in Italy and abroad. Clemente’s sons, Giovanni and Mario, subsequently spent decades consolidating every part of the business: vineyard operations, cellar work and commercial distribution.
The fourth generation
The fourth generation now continues the family enterprise. Clementina Cossetti leads the winery together with her mother, Maria Emma, and her sister, Giulia. Their work is supported by a professional team and builds upon more than 130 years of family activity.
Sustainability governance
The organizational chart in force was issued as revision 06 on 28 August 2023, accompanied by defined responsibilities for personnel. In 2024, the winery began the reporting period covered by its first Sustainability Report. Two internal HACCP audits were completed on 26 January and 9 July 2024; no non-conformities were identified, although observations were made concerning structural aspects of the cellar.
In 2025, management completed its first review of the 2024 reporting year under the Equalitas certification programme. On 18 December 2025, Cossetti Clemente e Figli S.r.l. received Equalitas SOPD Sustainable Organization certification, covering grape, must and wine reception; production, maturation and storage of still, semi-sparkling and sparkling wines; glass-bottle filling; and supervision of outsourced riddling and disgorgement for traditional-method sparkling wines. Amphora maturation at the operational unit in Reg. Zucca, Incisa Scapaccino, is also included in the certified scope.
Terroir
The estate vineyards lie in the commune of Castelnuovo Belbo in Monferrato. The property is locally known as San Colombano. Here, vineyards alternate with meadows, arable fields and woods, creating a varied agricultural environment.
Vineyard exposures range from south to south-east. The soils are medium-textured and sandy-marly, with iron and magnesium. Marl and sand occur in balanced proportions; Cossetti associates this composition with intense aromas, fine tannins and a mineral character in the resulting wines.
The principal named site is Cru Crivelletto, the source of the estate’s Nizza DOCG. Its exposure and soil are considered particularly suitable for Barbera and for the requirements of the Nizza denomination, which acquired DOCG status in 2014.
Grapes used elsewhere in the portfolio also come from vineyards in selected positions and soils in the Astigiano and in the Piemonte winegrowing areas of Langhe, Roero and Gavi.
Winemaking
The estate vineyards cover approximately 30 ha and have an average vine age exceeding 30 years. Barbera and Moscato are the principal plantings, while Albarossa, Cortese, Dolcetto, Brachetto and Chardonnay occupy smaller areas.
Yields are intentionally maintained at low levels to improve grape quality, concentration and intensity. The mosaic of vineyards, meadows, arable land and woods around Castelnuovo Belbo contributes to local biodiversity.
Cossetti also processes grapes from qualified external growers. Their cultivation is guided and monitored by an internal technical service. Crop-protection treatments are subject to defined execution and control procedures intended to keep residues of plant-protection products and their active ingredients within legal limits. Growers receive periodic communications emphasizing residue prevention and grape quality.
The Equalitas sustainability-management system covers environmental, social and economic performance throughout the organization. It is an organizational certification rather than a declaration of organic or biodynamic vineyard farming.
Cossetti receives grapes, musts and wines and produces, matures and stores still, semi-sparkling and sparkling wines. Bottling is performed in glass. Riddling and disgorgement for traditional-method sparkling wines are outsourced but remain under Cossetti’s process control. A second operational unit at Reg. Zucca 1 in Incisa Scapaccino is used for maturation in amphora.
Cellar tours identify a combination of modern technology and established traditions, including large Slavonian-oak casks and smaller French-oak tonneaux. Cellar-management plans define the operating conditions, products used, and type and frequency of control for every product category and identified processing stage. Analytical control plans accompany this system, with external laboratories accredited to UNI CEI EN ISO/IEC 17025.
During the 2024 harvest cycle, 197,561.69 kg of purchased grapes were processed. They yielded 140,200 litres of wine; another 78,388 litres of wine and must were purchased, bringing total 2024 wine production to 218,588 litres. Bottling comprised 2,400 units of 0.375 L, 230,934 units of 0.75 L, 2,900 units of 1.5 L, 200 units of 3 L, 12 units of 6 L and 26 units of 12 L, for a total of 236,472 units.
Enological inputs recorded for 2024 included 75.3 kg of fining products, 112.0 kg of filtration products, 221.3 kg of fermentation products, 272.8 kg of stabilization products and 350.0 kg of potassium metabisulphite. Consumption is monitored with the aim of future rationalization according to incoming raw-material quality and the intended finished-wine profile.
Equipment-cleaning protocols record chemical washes and are validated annually under demanding operating conditions. Lower-water cleaning trials carried out in 2024 maintained sanitation and product-safety requirements; the resulting procedure was retained for 2025. Cleaning validations are also used to investigate reductions in water, energy and detergent consumption.
Philosophy
Cossetti’s approach is rooted in continuity between generations and in the Monferrato landscape where the family has worked since 1891. Its stated objective is to bring the characteristics of carefully selected grapes into wines intended for both Italian and international markets.
The family presents tradition and innovation as complementary rather than opposing forces. The fourth generation seeks to preserve the work of its predecessors while adapting to changes in markets and consumer taste. Territorial expression, grape quality and attention to the most qualified places of origin are central to this outlook.
Clementina Cossetti connects this philosophy to her own childhood among the vines and in the cellar during harvest. For her, firm roots in the land sustain people as well as vines.
The sustainability policy extends this outlook across environmental, social and economic management. Its principles include responsible resource use, environmental protection, worker welfare, relations with the local community, measurable objectives and continuous improvement.