La Colombera

Based in the village of Vho on the outskirts of Tortona, or Derthona as the Romans called it, La Colombera is a third generation, 22 ha property planted most notably with the indigenous white wine grape Timorasso; all within a mile of the winery. In 1961 Renato Semino planted the first of La Colombera’s vineyards: Vigna Brusa. During the 1970s, Renato’s son, Piercarlo began working the vineyards and decided in the 1980s to begin making wine himself, rather than sell off the fruit, building a small winery in 1996. Then, in 1997, with the outbreak of flavescenza dorata that decimated their largely rented vineyards, they were encouraged to plant the varietal that would become their passion, Timorasso, for the first time. Over the next two years, the Semino family took a leap of faith, purchasing their vineyards and building a new commercial winery.  In 2000, Piercarlo’s daughter Elisa returned from her viticultural studies in Milan to join the family business & to focus the family’s energy on the production of Timorasso. In 2013, Elisa’s brother Lorenzo joined the family business, and in 2014 they fermented the Timorasso wine, ‘Derthona,’ for the first time, using wild yeasts. Today, the Semino family continues to expand their viticulture, adding three new hectares to their holdings in 2017.