Azienda Agricola Pepe Rocco

The Pepe family has farmed this corner of San Marzano since 1967, off an old brick farmhouse that goes back to 1895 — a time when these hills were as known for their yellow apples as for wine. The vines took over long ago. What's poured now is honest everyday Piemonte: Barbera d'Asti at the centre, with a Monferrato Dolcetto, a Grignolino, a Chardonnay, a Moscato and a straightforward Monferrato red rounding it out.

It's a working sales point more than a polished cantina — a Campagna Amica farm on the ridge between Nizza and Canelli, where you turn up, taste, and fill the boot straight from the source. Ring first, the hours stretch to fit the work. Nobody's selling you a story, just the wine.