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.

Who:
Cousins Marco Luzzati + Giorgio Guastalla

Winemaker: Alex Berriolo

Where:
Marina di Andora, Savona • Liguria, Italy

Founded: As PEQ in 2020

Orientation: Southern

Land:
8 hectares, 350 -500 meters above sea level

Average age of the vines:
vineyards are, on average, 20+ years old

Soil: 
Stony calcareous soils are rich in microfossils

Training System: Guyot

Grapes:
Pigatto, Vermentino, Rossesse, Barbarossa,  + Granaccia

Appellation:
Riviera Ligure di Ponente DOC

Viticulture: Organic - dry farm

Harvest: By hand

Annual Production:

ABOUT THE Riviera Ligure di Ponente DOC

Region:LiguriaHistory: 
Established as a DOC in 1988
Vineyard Area: 230 ha / 569 acres (2015)
Production: 13,700 hl / 152,200 cases (2018)
Principal White Grape Varieties: Moscato, Pigato, Vermentino
Principal Red Grape Varieties: Alicante, Rossese

IT’S THE LAW: Styles and Wine Composition

WHITE WINES: Moscato or, in the subzone Taggia only. Moscatello (Wh, WhFrSw): 100% Moscato. BiancoPigato (Wh): Minimum 95% Pigato + OANWG. Vermentino (Wh): Minimum 95% Vermentino + OANWG Superiore (Pigato, Vermentino)

RED WINES: Granaccia (Rd): Minimum 90% Alicante (locally Granaccia) + OANR. Rossese (Rd): Minimum 90% Rossese + OANRGSuperiore (Granaccia)

Praié | “Il Canneto”

Pigato D.O.C. Riviera Ligure di Ponente

This vineyard is in a hilly area (500 m above sea level), along a volcanic vein.

DOC: Riviera Liguria di Ponente DOC
Vines: Pigato
Vineyards: Testico (SV)
Soil type: medium mix, clay, calcareous soil 
Altitude: 400-500 asl 
Exposition: South, South-west
Yield per hectare: 60 q
Training system: guyot

A strong identity and a contemporary style are the key features of “Il Canneto” Pigato.  The unique microclimate ensures high acidity and the soil adds flavor and minerality that combine well with Pigato’s characteristic aromatic with notes of spice and mustard seed and rich in texture—honey, great acid- round and full. There was no mistaking this wine as anything other than Pigato. 36-72 hours of skin contact, soft pressed. It's half done in Austrian acacia barrels with some botanage, which gives the wine a slight creaminess and some excellent baking spice notes. 

Bouquet: ripe medlar, acacia flower, mandarin-orange and cedar, balsamic notes, resin
Palate: full-bodied, savoury, refreshing, balanced, in harmony with the bouquet
 

1,660 cases

BOTTLE SIZE: 750 ml
PACK: 12
CLOSURE: Cork
ALC BY VOL(%): 13.5
LONGEVITY: 2-3 years
BAR CODE:

Praié | "Don Lisander" 

Vermentino D.O.C. Riviera Ligure di Ponente

Vermentino 'Don Lisander' is a CRU from their vineyard overlooking the sea at Colla Micheri. Planted in 1970, its rows are laid out on 20 km of dry stone walls.

DOC: Riviera Liguria di Ponente DOC
Vines: Vermentino
Vineyards: Colla Micheri
Altitude: 500 asl 
Soil: loam, clay, calcareous soil, bulky
Exposition: South, South-west
Yield per hectare: 40 q
Training system: guyot

They limit the yield to 40 q per hectare to ensure a high-quality grape that, thanks to the microclimate, gives the wine an elegant, savory flavor with notes of the Mediterranean maquis.

The fresh, round, salty nose of white herbs, zest, and crushed rocks is delightful—Fuller mouth, rolling silk with long, mouthwatering flavors and a good dose of acidity. Equally, hand harvested from south/southwest facing Colla Micheri, Andora (SV) vineyards, 150 meters above sea level; organic grapes de-stemmed vinified on-the-skins with maceration in a press for 12 hours.

Temperature-controlled fermentation, followed by racking, storage in steel with lees stirring, and no filtering until the wine is bottled. A small amount of must-wine from the same parcel is added before bottling, as a liqueur to give 2g/l of sugars.

Bouquet: Pippins, broom flowers, salt water, faint eucalyptus
Palate: Warm, savory, refreshing

1,660 cases

BOTTLE SIZE: 750 ml
PACK: 12
CLOSURE: Cork
ALC BY VOL(%): 13.5
LONGEVITY: 2-3 years
BAR CODE:

Praié | "Stundaio" 

Rossese D.O.C. Riviera Ligure di Ponente

Rossese 'Stundaio' is a CRU from our vineyard in Cervo, which overlooks the Mediterranean Sea.

DOC: Riviera Liguria di Ponente DOC
Vines: Rossese
Vineyards: Cervo
Altitude: 220 asl 
Training system: guyot

OK, this is fun! From the Cervo vineyards 220 meters above sea level. Violets dance with ripe stewed cherries and fruits with zippy, juicy tannins. Crisp ocean air freshness.  Hand-harvested in small boxes to preserve the soft, thin skins. Fermentation is started under the skin, then finishes without. Bottled after filtration, two months of bottle age. 

Bouquet: dog rose with spicy notes
Palate: full-bodied and mouth-coating, well-defined freshness, velvety tannins
400 cases

BOTTLE SIZE: 750 ml
PACK: 12
CLOSURE: Cork
ALC BY VOL(%): 12.5
LONGEVITY: 2-3 years
BAR CODE:

Praié | "Sciurbi" 

Granaccia D.O.C. Riviera Ligure di Ponente

‘Sciurbí’ Grenache is a CRU from the Colla Micheri vineyard, which overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. After aging for one year, it's surprisingly full-bodied and floral. We like to say the wine dispels the myth that Liguria is a land of only white wines!

DOC: Riviera Liguria di Ponente DOC
Vines: Granaccia (grenache)
Vineyards: Colla Micheri + Cervo Vineyards
Altitude: 400-500 asl 
Training system: guyot

100% grenache from Andora and Cervo vineyards. A bigger deep berry Grenache made in a ripe and severe way. Hints of flowers and rind. Grippy velvets with long tannins, a perfect food wine.  

The previous owner, Massimo, planted eight different clones of Granaccia to achieve the best possible wine. They harvest at other times for this reason and at various heights of the vineyards. After de-stemming, the grapes are moved to a vat containing dry ice,  followed by mild carbonic maceration, three days of cold pre-fermentative maceration, and then the temperature increases. The alcohol fermentation starts using natural yeasts, with the first racking after three to four days. The wine is moved to tonneaux of various kinds of wood to complete alcohol fermentation and ensuing malolactic fermentation, with a return to steel for aging, light filtering, and bottling.

400 bottles

BOTTLE SIZE: 750 ml
PACK: 12
CLOSURE: Cork
ALC BY VOL(%): 14
LONGEVITY: 3-5 years
BAR CODE:

Str. Castello, 20, 17051 Colla Micheri SV, Italy

+39 351 713 5050

website