LESSONA: THE RENAISSANCE OF A
FORGOTTEN WINE REGION
By L.H. Mol
Abstract Thesis Unit 7
Diploma in Wines and Spirits
Weinakademie Österreich
Candidate number: 13019026
UNIT 7 ABSTRACT
Name: L.H. Mol
Candidate number: 13019026
Date of Submission: 16-06-2016
Title
Lessona: the Renaissance of a forgotten wine region
Motivation of the topic and objective of the thesis
The Spanna wines of Alto Piemonte are still relatively unknown, despite the high quality and potential
of those wines. It is only a very recent development that the wine business starts to realise that there is
more Nebbiolo in Piemonte than the world-famous Barolo and Barbaresco. Undeservedly so! In fact,
the first wine that I completely fell in love with when I had just started my job at the Dutch Italian
wine import, was a wine from Lessona. In this thesis, therefore, I want to focus on that particular very
promising but still quite unknown Alto Piemonte cru, since I think its history highly intriguing and its
wines simply amazing. The aim of my thesis is to investigate the future potential of Lessona as a quality
wine region, based both on its historical tradition and the current developments in the region.
Method and structure
In order to fulfil my objective, I have undertaken a literature study and I have done an interview with
a local producer. I started my thesis with a descriptive analysis of the history of Lessona as a wine
region. In this part I have described the flourishing wine region Lessona once was, as well as the
subsequent decline under influence of the difficult viticultural circumstances at the one hand, and the
changing economical situation at the other. Subsequently, in the second chapter, I have briefly
described the current situation in Lessona. First, I have outlined the birth of Lessona DOC. Then, I
have discussed the return of the De Marchi family to Proprietà Sperino, which has been a very
important impulse for the current revival of Lessona. To conclude, I have described the recent
developments in the area, including the foundation of two associations and the plans to reorganize the
appellation system in Alto Piemonte. In order to get a deeper understanding of the situation in Lessona
today, in the last chapter, I have presented an interview with Luca De Marchi, the winemaker and
owner of Proprietà Sperino, who is considered as the trailblazer of the revival of Lessona as a classical
wine region. After all, best insights can be gained from someone who is both an authority on the
subject and directly involved in the matter.
UNIT 7 ABSTRACT
The content summarized
In the first chapter, I discussed the historical development of Lessona as a quality wine region. The
regions viticultural history traces back to the Roman Age, and is thus very old. From the Middle Ages
onwards, the viticulture in Lessona gradually took shape, and by the time of the sixteenth century,
viticulture was widespread. In the nineteenth century, the quality and potential of the Spanna wines of
Lessona were recognized for the first time, and a very prosperous period began, in which Lessona
enjoyed an excellent national and international reputation. Although from the turn of the century
onwards a gradual decline set in, mainly due to external factors, like challenging viticultural
circumstances and a changing economical situation, we can conclude that Lessona’s history definitely
accounts for the area’s potential.
In the second chapter, I have presented a brief sketch of Lessona today. A very important happening
was the official recognition of Lessona as a DOC in 1976, since as such the quality of Lessona was both
recognized and protected. The next important recent development was the return of the De Marchi
family to the historical Proprietà Sperino in 1999, which attracted international attention and as such
gave Lessona a renewed impuls. What is more, Luca de Marchi is, together with his fellow producers,
working very hard to put Lessona back on the international wine map. The results thereof are both
growing international awareness and the foundation of two associations, meant to build and reinforce
the identity of Lessona in particular and of Biella more general. Finally, the appellation system in Alto
Piemonte is about to be reformed, and although we will have to wait for the outcome, at least it will
generate more attention for the region.
In the last chapter, finally, I have presented an interview with Luca De Marchi, a key protagonist in
the Lessona Renaissance. What that conversation learned is that at the one hand, Lessona has
enormous potential, both thanks to its long and rich historical tradition in winemaking and due to
Lessona’s unique climatical circumstances and terroir. This combination of factors gives Lessona its
unique refined and elegant character, which should be regarded as an identity on its own, and not as
more affordable Barolo or Barbaresco. At the other hand, there are quite a lot of challenges Lessona
has to deal with, like the changing climate, and the low quantity of wine available. It is clear that that
Lessona will always remain a niche wine. A very positive and very important recent development
however, is the fact that the producers of the region got united, and that they are promoting Lessona
as a team. The reorganization of the appellation system in Alto Piemonte is at hand, and will be a next
important development for the region, whatever the outcome will be. Taken together, according to
Luca, Lessona is not there yet, but a lot is going on at the moment, and the perspectives for the future
are very positive.
The final conclusion
This had led me to the final conclusion that although Lessona never will be big, its perspectives as a
quality wine region look very promising, if not better than ever. There is still a long way to go, and it
will not be an easy one, but of one thing we can be sure. We are going to hear a lot more from this
small subalpine Alto Piemonte cru.