Between the rows of a vineyard at sunset

August 2020, Cella Monte, Monferrato, Italy

Chances are you have already been to Monferrato, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site framed by its beautiful hills.

We are in Cella Monte, a small hamlet with cantoni-like stone houses, a few hills and downs, and little places with mouth-watering local cuisine.

After a day outdoors with friends, we had an appointment at the Casetta dell'acqua, and we were pretty excited about the evening ahead of us.

We had precise coordinates for the GPS: it took us exactly between the rows of a vineyard, in front of us a breathtaking sunset, albeit with some clouds in the distance.

We are welcomed by some special guys, and you can tell by the light in their eyes when they talk about their wine, their land, the Infernot, the friciulin, the cacciatorino, their family - third-generation winemakers, their love for their land, the tradition that meets new ideas.

Simone, Davide, Marco and Lalla let us taste three of their wines accompanied by local delicacies, one better than the other. Amid chatter and laughter, in a picturesque setting, seated on hay benches.

We had to reckon with those clouds: here was a beautiful summer thunderstorm that sent us scurrying into the farm's courtyard. We were welcomed by grandfather Giovanni, who with his liveliness did not fail to tell us a few anecdotes from his life, with one joke after another, giving everyone a glass of wine.

You can drink good local wine almost anywhere, but there are few places where you feel truly at home.

This is what the Coppo Giovanni winery succeeds in conveying, without indulging in too many words, working hard and always with a smile.

If you happen to be in the area, you absolutely must book for a picnic or an aperivigna (literally, an aperitivo in the vineyard)!

https://www.aziendaagricolacoppogiovanni.it/