Antiche Cantine Brema

Barbera is what the Brema family knows. They've worked these slopes between Nizza, Mombaruzzo and Fontanile for more than two centuries, across roughly fourteen hectares tended by hand, without herbicides. The two wines to know are the crus — Bricco della Volpettona and Bricconizza, Barbera d'Asti Superiore aged in barrique — though there's also a Gavi, a little Dolcetto d'Asti and some Brachetto if you ask.

Visitors tend to remember the tasting more than any single label, which tells you where the family's attention goes. The cellar keeps ordinary shop hours through the week and opens Sunday mornings, but ring first — this is a small house, and someone's usually out among the vines.