{"title":"MonteStregone","description":"\u003cp\u003eMonteStregone is a small winery located in Acqui Terme, in the province of Alessandria, within the southern reaches of the Barbera d'Asti DOCG. The project was founded by two Piedmontese winemaker friends, Alessandro Gallo and Roberto Orsi, who produce three wines from the territory.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe winery takes its name from Monte Stregone, a hill above Acqui Terme that carries an old local legend: it was said to be a meeting place for witches, and the folk belief held that not even vines could grow there. The name is a deliberate nod to the unlikely, place-driven character of the wines.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBarbera is the primary vine variety of the Monferrato area. MonteStregone plants it on open, sun-exposed hillsides, as the variety requires warm temperatures and well-draining soils. The Strja is produced from 100% Barbera grapes, vinified to express the variety's natural fruit character and acidity rather than to add oak-derived complexity.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"strja-barbera-dasti-montestregone-natural-wine","title":"MonteStregone Strja Barbera d'Asti 2018","description":"\u003cp\u003eStrja is a 100% Barbera from MonteStregone, a small Piedmont producer based in Acqui Terme in the province of Alessandria, within the Barbera d'Asti DOCG zone. The winery was founded by two trained winemakers and longtime friends, Alessandro Gallo and Roberto Orsi, who named the project after Monte Stregone, a hill near Acqui that local legend claims is so inhospitable that even vines cannot grow there.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 2018 growing season in Piedmont brought heavy spring rains that replenished water reserves after the drought-stricken 2017, followed by warm days and cool nights through the late summer harvest window. Those cool nights in August and early September allowed the Barbera grapes to develop intense aromatics while reaching full phenolic maturity. The resulting wine is deep ruby in color with notes of ripe cherry, strawberry, and dark berries, a characteristic juicy texture, and a salty finish that lifts the long acidity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBarbera is the main variety of the Monferrato hills, harvested in the second half of September from sun-exposed hillside sites. In this wine it is handled to preserve its natural freshness rather than to add oak structure, resulting in a medium-bodied red with low astringency and a lively, food-friendly profile.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe wine carries the Barbera d'Asti DOCG classification, which requires a minimum of 90% Barbera from vineyards in the provinces of Asti and Alessandria, and was elevated from DOC to DOCG status in 2008.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MonteStregone","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40693083340999,"sku":"STREBARB19C","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0019\/3363\/9735\/products\/monte-stregone-strja-barbera-d_asti-docg-natural-wine-primal-wine.jpg?v=1780185851"}],"url":"https:\/\/primalwine.com\/collections\/montestregone.oembed","provider":"Primal Wine","version":"1.0","type":"link"}