La Miraja Ruche Chinato La Ribota

Nestled within the original castle of Castagnole Monferrato, La Miraja was constructed as an armory in the 11th century, only to be retrofitted as a cellar in the 1400s. In this armory-turned-cellar, Eugenio Gatti, a seventh-generation viticulturist, turns out Barbera, Grignolino, Freisa, and his fabled Ruché. His oldest Ruché plantings are located in the famed Majole vineyard, one of the first sites in Castagnole Monferrato where the grape was planted with the intention of producing single-varietal wines. Majole was replanted in the 1970s, and its Ruché vines rank among the oldest in the world. This has long been considered the top site of Castagnole Monferrato—the epicenter of Ruché production and the first of seven villages granted permission to produce single-varietal Ruché under the DOCG. Ruché is a mesmerizing, aromatic
red wine. Produced exclusively in Piedmont and sourced from the oldest Ruché vineyard in existence. 

“La Ribotà” translates as spontaneous gathering. The only fortified wine of its kind produced from the red grape variety Ruché, this digestivo is labeled as Vino Aromatizzato Alla China because it does not follow the same dictates as Chinato from Barolo, where it was first developed by a pharmacist in the 1800s. The wild aromatics of Ruché marry with a host of herbs, spices, and botanicals, giving way to notes of
quinine, citrus peel, and cardamom. This bottling bears all the hallmarks of great fortified wine—past-ripened yet still vibrant fruit; delicately sweet and slightly bitter; and a spiced finish that warms the body and the soul. One of Chinato’s main ingredients, quinine, is believed to settle the stomach. An after-dinner drink to
be enjoyed neat or with ice. Alternatively, this makes for a lovely aperitivo when mixed with either sparkling wine or a splash of soda with an orange peel to fashion a unique spritz.