Meet Guido Vada

Guido popped in to Portalis on a Monday in early February — his first trip to Seattle and to the U.S. for that matter.

Salt-of-the-earth kind of guy. Friendly, funny, low-key, but into his wines. We tasted an unusual Moscato Bianco, a dry (as a bone!!) & still version of the better-known sweet bubbly: Moscato d’Asti as well as the the wines we carry at Portalis (Arneis & Barbera) plus a Barbera d’Asti Superiore. Guido was the kind of guy who could take you there, in terms of feeling like you had just gotten a glimpse of his world.

So let’s have a look (and a little history about the estate):

Guido and his sister Serena (with the continued help of their father, Sergio) run this family farm (established in 1850 by Lorenzo Vada) on the border of Langhe and Monferrato (Piedmont, Italy), in the heart of the Moscato Hills, from whence Moscato d’Asti comes.

The property is made up of 3-hectares with soils typical of the Moscato zone: white sand with a lot of tuff (a light, porous rock made from volcanic ash). The main grapes cultivated are Moscato Bianco, Barbera, Dolcetto & a small amount of Chardonnay. In addition to these grapes, Guido (as a special project with his friends Mattia and Alessia) started cultivating Arneis, with their first vintage in 2017.

Their winery is located in the village of Coazzolo (pop.300), near the beautiful Moscato Chapel (in Località Gallo - pictured above) and is surrounded by picturesque rolling hills full of vineyards and villages. Here’s a little tour from Guido:

You are welcome back anytime, Guido. And next time you have to stay a little longer so that we can organize a public tasting at Portalis!