Bava has made wine in Cocconato since 1911, when the family built its first cellar here, though they had been growing vines in the area for centuries before that. Six generations on, the estate has about 50 hectares of vineyards across the Monferrato and the Langhe. Barbera is the backbone: 'Libera', the Superiore 'Stradivario' and the Nizza 'Pianoalto'. Alongside it there's Ruchè, Malvasia di Castelnuovo Don Bosco, Moscato d'Asti, a Barolo from the Scarrone cru and a Gavi. Since 1978 the family has also owned Giulio Cocchi, the vermouth and sparkling-wine house that shares the site.
The cellar door opens every day, and on weekends it doesn't close for lunch. Visits are booked from a set menu. The classic tour covers the historic cellars with three wines and a vermouth. Other options are a Monferrato tasting, an Alta Langa session in Cocchi's riddling room, a reserve-reds tasting and, from October to March, a truffle hunt with a local trifolau. Recent visitors praise generous, well-explained tastings with English-speaking hosts. A couple of older reviews complain that the cellars weren't shown on the day, so check what's included when you book.