01 March 2019 For 120 years, Coppo winery has been honing their craft of sparkling wine. In fact, they were pioneers in the metodo classico style in Italy, leading to Canelli being dubbed the “sparkling wine capital” of Italy in the 20th-century. Taste their dedication in Riserva Coppo 2010, the first vintage of this elegant wine to be released under the Alta Langa DOCG. Nestled Northeast of the Langhe along the Belbo river in Alto Monferrato, Canelli is a small town surrounded by hills of Moscato, Barbera and Chardonnay vineyards. It is the production centre of Piedmont’s sparkling wine styles and Coppo winery has long been a leader in this. Barrique fermentation, Coppo, Piedmont. In 1892, Piero Coppo the winery’s founder and family patriarch used his infallible nose and finely-tuned palate to begin creating sparkling wine using a method that was recently brought to Italy from France: a secondary fermentation in the bottle. The champenoise method, which is now known as metodo classico (Traditional Method), is a lot more complex and costlier than the Charmat method, which was the most diffused sparkling wine method in the region at the time and continues to be popular, but produces more refined wine. To make sparkling wine with metodo classico, winemakers have to be exacting in their knowledge and execution. It requires acute attention to detail and a penchant for perfection. Fortunately, Piero naturally bore those characteristics. Bottles of spumante metodo classico in pupitres, Coppo, Piedmont. Photo ©? Francesco Margutti. He began digging underground tunnels, which today are recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage, under the hill where his winery stood so that he could create the right environment for making sparkling wine. The best bubbles are produced in stable, cool temperatures. Then, he produced one of the first bottles of Moscato Spumante using metodo classico and was a pioneering force in Canelli’s rise as sparkling wine capital. Now, 120 years after Piero struck out on this fizzy path, Coppo winery continues to dedicate itself to high-quality sparkling wine. Led by Piero’s grandsons, the winery leverages the wisdom, knowledge, and expertise passed down from generation to generation. The end result is Riserva Coppo. This wine was first introduced in 1984 by Piero’s four grandsons. They created a cuvée blend from Pinot Nero and Chardonnay, inspired by their grandfather’s love of French wine, which continues to be the base for the award-winning wine. Riserva Coppo 2010 is the first vintage to be released under the Alta Langa DOCG appellation, increasing its link to the land and underlining the undeniable importance the winery has had in shaping the lasting market of sparkling wine in Piedmont. This is an elegant and effervescent wine. The straw yellow colour shimmers golden and the aroma of bread crust entices the nose. Riserva Coppo 2010 is aged for 9 months in French oak and another 48 on the lees in bottle, which produces a very fine perlage and body that allows this wine to hold its own on a dinner table. Taste a century of tradition, innovation and passion in a single bottle. Explore the Underground Cathedrals of Coppo winery where Riserva Coppo is aged with The Grand Wine Tour.