Bricco Ernesto, the project of Renato Vezza, started as a “garage project” on the land where Renato grew up. Raised in the prolific wine region of Piemonte, Renato comes from a family of farmers who, although they had always grown grapes, had never made wine, opting instead to sell their grapes to local negociants. After years abroad learning the trade as a sommelier, Renato moved back home in 2016 to start production on his first vintage, quite literally out of his family’s garage, as a proper cellar had yet to be established. 

Throughout his career, Renato has traveled extensively and worn many hats, navigating the wine industry across continents. At the age of 20, he moved to London where he worked as a sommelier for renowned chef Marco Pierre White before moving to Australia and Canada to continue his work. However, when we think of Renato, it’s easy to think of him first as a farmer. Renato’s attention to and respect for his land is unmatched and his project is foremost dedicated to sustaining its terroir. He exclusively uses organic farming techniques and relies on biodiversity to nourish the soil, which is composed primarily of white marlstone and sand. His goal is to minimize intervention as much as possible both in the vineyard and the cellar while still maintaining the highest quality of wine. 

The geography of the land plays a crucial role in this pursuit. Located in a far north region of Langhe, the vineyard sits on a hill 280 meters above sea level (around 918 feet). The name of the project even pays homage to its location, with ‘bricco’ translating to ‘hill’ in English. Ernesto refers to his grandfather, who refused to sell the vineyard because he wanted to leave it to his grandson.

Renato manually harvests grapes from late August to early September, and wines are made using spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts. White wines are macerated for a few days with the skins before they are pressed and finished in oak and Anfora. Wine stays on the lees between  8 to 9 months until bottling. Reds are macerated for 30-40 days in concrete before the juice is transferred for an aging period of 12 months in oak, Amphora and tonneaux. The process for Roero DOCG is similar, although it ages over 3 distinct periods of 12 months, first in Stockinger oak then in concrete, before finishing for 12 months in the bottle. 

As a first-generation winemaker, Renato has been able to establish his own style of production that is singular in the context of the methods often used in the surrounding Langhe hills. His dedication to the land, however, goes back generations and it’s this legacy that he carries on with Bricco Ernesto, and provides a strong foundation for this exciting project into the future.