The Crivelli family has been on this hill since around 1860, when Secondo Crivelli arrived with two hectares; generations on, Jonathan Crivelli and his wife run it, and Ruché is still the point. Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato is the wine they're known for — one of the names people mean when they argue about who does the grape best — and some regulars have driven up every December for thirty years to lay in a Christmas case. Around it sit a Grignolino d'Asti, a Barbera d'Asti, a Monferrato Rosso called Agoghè, and Neos, a sparkling rosé that makes a fine aperitivo.
The cellar's open most of the week, mornings and late afternoons with the usual long lunch break, and Sunday mornings too. Tastings are no-frills and heavy on substance: you stand in the working cellar, taste, and hear the story of the family and of Ruché itself, which only won its own denomination in recent decades. Some find the Crivelli Ruché firmer and more Barbera-like than others in the village — reason enough to taste a few around town and make up your own mind.