HERE,
WHERE «VINEYARD»
IS THE VERY NAME
OF THE LAND

Hic et Nunc stands halfway between Asti, Alessandria and Casale, in the heart of the Basso Monferrato, home to the barbera and the grignolino, iconic varieties of these hills.

We are in the heart of the historical and original ancient Aleramic properties, the dynasty of Aleram, who – according to the legend – has traced the borders of Monferrato, becoming its first Marquis. Here, the names of the places reveal their belonging to the ancient Marquisate, including their proud affinity with Monferrato to their namesake.

The cellar and the wine resort rest on the hill connecting Vignale to Frassinello, a natural stage of hills and vineyards crossed by woods, poplar and hazel groves, fields and pastures: a landscape with a rich biodiversity and a wild, primitive charm that UNESCO has acknowledged as a World Heritage Site in 2014, within the core-zone of Monferrato degli Infernot.

THE PLACE
OF GRIGNOLINO

The origin of the name “Vignale Monferrato” reveals its secular calling. Vignalis or Vignalus, as attested since the 9th century, is a word made up of vinea, «vineyard» and -alis, a suffix indicating a place. Therefore, it is «a place of vineyards» ever since its foundation. Vignale is the capital of Grignolino, the «the reddest among Piedmont whites and the whitest of the reds», according to Veronelli.

MICROCLIMATE

Crossed by the 45° parallel, the “magical” latitude where the best wine terroirs in the world can be found (Burgundy, Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Oltrepò Pavese), Vignale is at the heart of the temperate zone, equally distant from the sea and the Alpine range, that protects it from bad weather from the north-east. Low rainfall urges the vines to seek nourishment deeper underground and the good alternation of temperature between day and night, especially during harvest period, yields wines with intense and elegant aromas.

SOILS

Ancient sea beds, the soil has a clay-limestone origin with a unique characteristic. In the subsoil there can be found compact blocks of sandstone mixed with limestone, with a classic ochre-yellow colour: these are «pietre da cantone», dug by the locals since the ancient times and used in construction. Poor soils, but endowed with microelements that yield wines of great structure, finesse and, thanks to the presence of limestone, a marked sapidity.