Wine Stories Roger Sesto

Ruchè, vigorous and resistant to frost and disease

Ruchè, vigorous and resistant to frost and disease

Ruchè is a red variety native to Piedmont with average vigour and good productivity. It ripens considerably earlier than other typical varieties in the area and in the last stages it performs well agronomically in a very short time. It favours calcareous-clay soils, where it gives wines with more intense bouquets and characterisation. The most suitable training systems are spurred cordon and Guyot, with dense planting.

A strong variety with character

It stands out for its high tolerance to winter and spring frosts, and a resistance to disease that is not bad at all. The Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato DOCG is a wine with an unmistakable personality; the pleasant floral notes of roses and violets, the fruity tones of apricot and the spiciness that emerge as it develops, make it immediately recognisable in the glass.

Montalbera and Ruché, a lifelong love

The Montalbera di Castagnole Monferrato winery has always believed in Ruchè and its uniqueness. This is why they have chosen to invest in research to trace the genetics of a variety with uncertain origins that is often placed alongside other varieties that are actually very different for terroir and expression. The aim of the work (carried out by the Bioaesis laboratory in Jesi) was to use DNA as an invisible barcode to define the genetic traceability of the variety. All the analyses carried out confirmed that Ruchè has a distinctive gene pool, which is different to all the other vine varieties present in the database.

The vintage time is fundamental

The harvest is done in the first half of September, when the grapes concentrate a lot of sugars with a high potential alcoholic strength, an average anthocyanic level and a not-too-dense tannic texture. During alcoholic fermentation, the acidity tends to rise sharply, therefore the choice of the vintage time is made on the basis of the acidity desired at the expense of sugar concentration.

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