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Valpane Barbera del Monferrato “Rosso Pietro,” 2018 
$17.99/bottle   –   $194.29/case 

Wine of the Month – March 2026

The Fojadelli family’s Cantine Valpane villa overlooked one of the most enviable vineyard sites in the Monferrato (north-east of Barolo), a perfect amphitheater that had been planted with vines since the 1700s. One day, a young man stopped by and described his dream to buy Valpane and pursue his passion for making wine. The elderly Fojadelli brusquely refused, but a housekeeper, seeing the young man’s desolation as his hopes were crushed, convinced the owner to give him a chance. Pietro Giuseppe Arditi began working the land in 1900 under a sharecropping agreement and then purchased the estate in 1902. He planted more vines and raised his family.

Pietro’s eldest daughter, Lydia, was a brilliant student interested in mathematics, but like many girls of her generation, she was pulled out of school at an early age. Instead of cooking and tending to her elderly grandmother, Lydia followed her father out to the vineyards. Before long, she was working alongside him and showing a keen business sense. She gradually took over the estate. Today, Lydia’s nephew, named Pietro for his grandfather, runs the estate. “People tell me I’m a great winemaker,” he says, “but the wines of Valpane have been winning awards for well over a century, so it can’t be my doing. I’m just careful not to ruin what the land gives us!”

Although Barbera d’Asti and d’Alba may be more widely recognized, the Monferrato provides a more faithful expression of Barbera. The warmer climate and longer hours of sunlight allow the grapes to ripen completely and unfurl the full personality of the variety. The Arditi’s vineyards are certified organic. The vines are sustainably farmed (lutte raisonnée in France), with indigenous yeast and no fining or filtration. Fementation takes place in cement tanks for 21-23 days. The wine is then aged for 10-12 months in stainless steel and cement tanks before bottling.

Fleshy, juicy, smooth, extremely pizza-friendly, yet quite polished, you won’t find much more bang for your buck than what’s in this bottle. This wine is simply called “red Pietro,” mainly because it is Pietro’s red wine, but also referring to his red beard. (Today, Pietro jokes that the name should be updated to “grey Pietro!”) Luscious, mouth-filling cherry fruit, a strong soil signature, and smooth tannins make this the perfect Barbera to cure your Italian craving. Limited!