Fom 1856 the family Germano owns 6 hectares on the hill of Cerretta, Serralunga d'Alba, in the heart of the Barolo area. The great-grandfather Francesco, then with his grandfather Alberto, has been cultivating the vineyard, producing small quantities of wine, but mainly selling the grapes, the predominant market in the area at the time. Ettore, son of Alberto, continued the work of his father and begins to restructure the vineyards from '50, using mass selection caried personally, and a density of not less than 4000 trees per hectare, with traditional local varieties, Dolcetto, Barbera and Nebbiolo.
In 1964 he married Rosanna, and together they continue to work in the vineyards, purchase some plots adjacent to their property. In 1985, Sergio son of Ettore and Rosanna, after the school of Enology in Alba, began to work in the family and from the few hectoliters sold to private clients and friends, he began to produce bottle, continuing to sell a portion of the grape. In this period Sergio purchased others small plots.
In 1993, the produced grapes are vinified. In 1995, Sergio has a chance to plant a vineyard in Alta Langa, at Cigliè, where it considers that the white grapes can give interesting results, the experiment is made with Riesling, Chardonnay. In 2001, with the birth of the new DOC Alta Langa, classic method sparkling wine, is implanted an acre of Pinot Noir suitable for producing sparkling wine, with a little of Chardonnay. In 2002 he bought an old vineyard, in Lazzarito, one of the historic vineyards of Serralunga. In 2005 he bought a vineyard, bordering the old plots in Cerretta of about one hectare.
Now the company consists of 10 hectares of vineyard in Serralunga, where they grow only varieties of red grapes, and 5 acres at Cigliè where are cultivated white wines. The management today is made by Sergio and his wife Elena, who is involved in the cultivation of the vineyards, winemaking and marketing, maintaining the tradition inherited from the family.
Information about Ettore Germano