Between vineyards and woodlands: the encounter that shapes Monferrato

Monferrato’s landscape alternates steep vineyards with woodland, tree-lined ridges and uncultivated areas. The woods are part of local material culture and memory: they supplied fuel, carried old paths and preserved legends, rural casotti and habitats for locust trees, bees, mature oaks, white truffles, lily of the valley and wild orchids.

Val Sarmassa became a protected reserve in 1993 after prolonged mobilisation by inhabitants of Vinchio, Vaglio Serra, Incisa and Cortiglione, with the participation of Vinchio Vaglio. The campaign prevented speculation, degradation and conversion of the area into a landfill, preserving fossil deposits and biological diversity.

Woodland is not without agricultural risks. It can harbour pests, assist the spread of flavescence dorée and encroach on vineyard rows. Growers therefore manage and contain it without treating it as an enemy. Vineyards remain on the most suitable sites, while woods occupy ridges and difficult land, maintaining habitat continuity for plants, animals, insects and soil organisms.

The Nidi trail translates this relationship into a visitor experience, moving between cultivated rows and woodland. Its central idea is that wine reflects the entire environment surrounding the vine, not the planted parcel alone.