Winemaker: Paolo Malfatti

Region: Monferrato, Piemonte, Italy (DOC)

Grapes: 95% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Muller Thurgau

The grapes were destemmed and pressed then sedimented overnight prior to fermentation. Fermentation kicked off in steel tanks with natural yeasts and took over a month to finish. The wine stayed on its lees for three months with occasional battonage before being racked and then bottled with a tiny sulphite addition. Unfined, unfiltered.

Cascina Zerbetta is a small organic estate located in Monferrato in a beautiful corner of Piemonte, North West Italy. It is a one-man operation run single-handedly by Paolo Malfatti, a humble, wise and gentle farmer who has been quietly making stunning wines for 14 years. 

Paolo studied agriculture at university and ended up working for various wineries in Barolo, Lombardia, and Tuscany before settling near Quargnento where he is now based. He farms a total of seven hectares, four of which are vines, and the rest organic hazelnuts which he sells locally to various shops and companies. He has been farming organically since he first planted vines in 1997, and his wine production has always shared the same values: hands-off, minimal intervention, the use of only natural yeasts and little to no sulphur additions. 

His focus has always been on Barbera, and his flagship wine is his yearly Barbera del Monferrato. He does however also farm 0.5 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon (used for Rosé) as well as Merlot, which he has sometimes used in his Piangalardo blend. Additionally he farms 1 hectare of Sauvignon Blanc from which he makes a natural sparkling, a still wine, and a late harvest passito.

The estate sits on proper Terra Rossa - a heavy, rich red clay with fantastic water retention, which happens to give the grapes some serious concentration. In comparison with nearby regions Alba and Asti, Monferrato tends to produce higher concentrations in Barbera, and in some instances longer-lived wines. 

The estate is part of a very old two-house farm - the main unit (his neighbour) was called La Zerba (meaning 'wild' in the local dialect), whilst his, the smaller of the two, was hence named by Paolo as La Zerbetta.