Cascina Praié, (Savona) Liguria, Italy

Cascina Praié is set high in the rustic hills, overlooking the sea of western Liguria, halfway between Nice and Genova in Riviera Ligure di Ponente.  In the steep rock, grower/producer Massimo Viglietti produces the most memorable wines. Massimo sold the Cascina Praie to PEQ Agro in February 2020. Cousins Marco Luzzati + Giorgio Guastalla formed Peq Agri in 2019, a company they started together after years of success in their own business outside the world of wines. While they have always been in the food and beverage industry, this collaboration joins them more organically with wine. They are food purists who want to return to the past to find and cultivate new development models and enhance the territory to generate a better quality of life. Agricultural products and simple transformations are the engines of this project, in the belief that there is room to pursue and rediscover those values ​​that find less and less place in our world. They are whole thinkers- believing that every person, item, and thought in their circle of work matters. It is not just about one thing but all parts together.

Pigato and Vermentino, Liguria’s most famous grapes, are the backbone of this family-run winery. They also aim to revive several of the region’s oldest but less well-known varieties, such as Barbarossa, Granaccia, and Rossese, all of which have historical roots. The vineyards of Cascina Praié sit amid a splendid micro-climate. High hills facing the sea, kissed by the sun and tucked in with the cooling winds that blow down from the Alps and the northern Apennines, protect the area from humidity and result in the region's finest wines.

Cascina Paraié has 8 of the 12 hectares dedicated to vineyards, ranging from the youngest Cervo site, which has only recently begun producing, to the older Colla Micheri vineyards dating back to the 1970s. The winery is not officially certified for organic production, but its cultivation and vinification protocols are based on the most stringent natural production parameters. Several wines are fermented naturally with ambient yeasts, while others use primary, strictly non-GMO, cultured yeasts.

VINEYARDS:

Testico (Province of Savona) (Rossese, the Pigato, and the Vermentino) This vineyard is influenced by the characteristic of being a hilly area (400 m above sea level) and, therefore, an extraordinary temperature even in summer.

Colla Micheri in Andora (Province of Savona) (Vermentino, Alicante, and Pigato) Their Colla Micheri vineyards are arranged in terraces supported by over 20 km of stone walls on very sloping land; the grapes are harvested entirely manually, an element that allows us incredible attention and cares towards our precious fruits—500 m above sea level.

Cervo (Province of Imperia) (Rossese and Alicante) The Cervo vineyards enjoy a breathtaking sea view all year round. Exposure to the sun and brackish currents influence the very intense aroma. The choice of the territory on which to settle the vineyard does not allow mistakes: the soil, the exposure, its microclimate, and the surrounding environment "mark" inexorably the qualities of its wine.