Within the magnificent vineyard-garden of the Langhe, in the area of Dogliani, lies the Del Tufo winery estate, set in the verdant paradise of its encircling vineyards. Its very air and earth convey an aptitude for viticulture, as does the distinctiveness of this place that for centuries has always yielded such superb products. It is here in this history-laden land and on these sun-blest slopes that offer, through all the seasons, striking tableaux of nature, that Antonio De Tufo with his wife Agata began his own agricultural labours. This family-run enterprise comprises some 13 hectares, which have been farmed organically since 1985. Since that year, the Del Tufo winery has rigorously applied organic farming practices, building up the expertise that still guides their efforts as they continue to refine their cultivation programme in order to raise quality levels still further. ect for the environment, that programme is built upon careful selection of vineyard sites, grape varieties, and cultivation practices, all of which have ensured the winery exceptional achievements in both the Italian and international arenas.


Periodic monitoring of the ripening process, and concomitant technical analysis, allow the precise scheduling of the harvest. Now a careful selection of the best clusters and individual grapes is made, for this will set the parameters for the quality of the subsequent wine which will satisfy the desires of the wine consumers. Expert hands remove the clusters and place them in shallow boxes for careful transportation to the cellar, where they will undergo destemming-crushing just a few hours later. The must will then go to small tanks for the initiation of fermentation at controlled temperature. The overall vinification process is designed to produce wines of great finesse, complexity, and balance, wines that exhibit a marked distinctiveness reflective of their terroir and a good potential for ageing, and that even through the various nuances and different characteristics of successive growing years will nevertheless maintain their innate naturalness and unmatched quality. The unique characteristics of each individual wine, the expression of a message entrusted by the grape, are not solely the result of expertise but the consequence as well of observing simple but ironclad rules that only those with dedication and passion can follow. After the slow maturation of the wine in the tranquil countryside, amidst the luminous blue of the heavens and those deep emotions triggered only by the colours, the fragrances, and the murmurings of nature, the wine is bottled, and its wealth of aromas and flavours are subtly refined. Each wine emerging from this process, with its own personality and its own sensory makeup waiting to be appreciated by true wine-lovers, will be released only at that very moment when all of its sensory elements coalesce into a harmony that will transmit to the wine-lover not only pleasurable sensations but culture itself.


The Langhe is an area of hills superbly suited to the production of fine wines, the unmatched qualities of its land recognised and developed right from the earliest centuries. The hillslopes provide the ideal terroir for carefully-selected premium varieties, inasmuch as their distinctive qualities develop only in such particular environments. Here too are planted the Del Tufo estate vineyards, at an altitude of some 400 metres, all belonging to the Dogliani “Madonna delle Grazie” sub-zone. Fertilisation is by means of manure or by mulching-in of the cover crop, a mixture of grasses formulated to increase soil fertility. Anti-fungal treatments, however, are the traditional sprays of sulphur and of the Bordeaux mixture, enriched with algae and medicinal plants. As for cultivation practices, every single vine is scrupulously attended to, and pruning and the other growing-season operations are carried out manually to ensure to each vine an optimal crop/canopy balance. The vine’s fruit thus develops with the plant in total vegetative balance, and the resultant grapes are the best quality possible. The effects of favourable natural factors such as vineyard aspect and climate are multiplied by the healthy growth of the vine, which even in less than optimal years can deliver top quality fruit by concentrating the vine’s energy into the grapes, thus yielding full-bodied, elegant wines suitable for medium-long cellaring.