Producer Profiles

We have asked Valter, the Winemaker at De Forville to answer a few questions about his life as a winemaker in the North-West of Italy.

Q. Can you give us a bit of background into your company and how you became the winemaker?

A. My brother Valter and me are the fifth generation of the family that started making wine in 1860.We were born into wine and we are also very passionate about it. We received a beautiful legacy.

Q. What are the most enjoyable and hardest things about the job?

A. Well, a lot of people think it's a lovely and easy job, but sometimes it isn't. Being a winemaker is not so simple. Bad weather conditions, like hail, can destroy in a few seconds the work of the entire year. On the opposite side you can get a lot of satisfaction knowing that people from the other side of the world ask for your products.

Q. What are you drinking at the moment? What food does it go best with?

A. I taste wines from everywhere, but recently I have been drinking Dolcetto a wine that goes with everything from pasta al pomodoro to a steak.

Q. What is your top tip for selecting a great wine?

A. Being a winemaker I look often to the quality-price ratio, not always the most expensive wine is the best.

Q. How do your vineyards differ from those in other wine regions of the world?

A. The varieties that we grow up are autoctone and it is very important because our wines cannot be reproduce elsewhere.

Q. Can you recommend your favorite food matches with your wines?

A. Our wines go with every important food of any cooking, everywhere, the high quality level that we are offering can only make better the food.

Q. How do you see the future of wine production in your region?

A. We are facing a challenging and competitive environment, but we are sure that we can offer to our clients the top quality at affordable prices and this will be the key of our success in the future.

De Forville Wines

(Please contact your Majestic Commercial Account Manager for prices and availablity)

Barbaresco 2007 De Forville

A big, elegant wine of pale colour. Dark cherries and leather with earthy hints, and a rose perfume, a charming, well integrated wine with a long finish. Muscular tannins give the wine a solid backbone.

Dolcetto d'Alba 2010 De Forville

A clear and bright ruby in colour, with an expressive nose of youthful fruits. Rich, dark cherries and liquorice on the palate and a fresh finish.

Langhe Nebbiolo 2009 De Forville

A Nebbiolo with striking ruby colour and a nose that displays bright red fruits with hints of spice. This complexity is carried onto the palate with racy acidity and oak bringing freshness and structure.