Araldica is Piemonte's largest and most progressive co-operative yet retains a small, family run company feel, thanks to the inspired guidance of winemaker/manager Claudio Manera (whose father Livio was the co-op's first winemaker in the fifties) and his wife Lella, also a winemaker and in charge of Quality Control. 80% of production is bottled (an extraordinarily high percentage for a large co-operative) at the company's headquarters in the Monferrato hills, home of the old cellars and a new winery, operating since September 2000.

The vineyards are south facing and the soil, chalky and mineral, which allows full ripening and excellent drainage. The 35 year old vines are trained Piemonte style on low Guyot trellis, planted with 4000 - 4500 vines per hectare and yielding 6600 lt/ha. Grapes are harvested a week ahead of the main harvest.

The whole process of winemaking is undertaken at Araldica's winery Azienda Agricola La Battistina, which has a storage capacity of 3,000 hectolitres in stainless steel tanks. The hand harvested grapes are whole bunch pressed in a pneumatic press and subjected to a temperature controlled fermentation in small 100hl pressure tanks and spend 3 months on lees.

Best as an aperitif.