Albugnano DOC is a premium wine that was named for the village located in the centre of its production area. The first documents that mention this wine date back to medieval times. The canon house there had some of the most productive vineyards in the area, so productive that it supplied nearby towns with vine shoots so they could replant after their land had been plundered in the barbarian invasions.
Albugnano DOC wine made from Nebbiolo grapes was granted Controlled Designation of Origin status on 6 May 1997. The geographic area where this wine is produced extends across the Monferrato Astigiano hills and is both well-ventilated and sunny, making it ideal for carrying out all the vegetative and productive functions a vineyard requires. The production area comprises the municipalities of Albugnano, Pino d'Asti, Castelnuovo Don Bosco and Passerano-Marmorito.
The fairly intense colour of the wine ranges from ruby red to garnet red, and the delicate nose varies between raspberries and wild strawberries with light floral and spicy notes that are more complex if the wine is aged in oak barrels. It is dry, full-bodied, slightly tannic and has a very persistent finish.
This route starts from Piazza Cavalier Serra 1 in Albugnano, in front of the town hall where the Albugnano DOC Winegrowers Association, Albugnano 549, is also located. The car park offers a gorgeous view of the woods and vineyards below. Before leaving the town, the track takes you to Belvedere rock where you can take in a lovely 360° view from the highest point on the route. Take the SP 74 towards Aramengo. A few metres after passing Campolungo (hamlet of Albugnano), turn right towards Vallana – Luca. As soon as you reach the hamlet, make a U-turn to the left just before the farmhouse and go down the highly technical track with care. At the bottom of the valley, go up to Borgo Cuore where you'll find a small tarmac road that leads to the hamlet of Marmorito Santa Maria di Aramengo. Turn right here and then turn left at the little church in Borgata Romagnolo, first going down the tarmac then on the track to the bottom of the valley. Take the SP 10 and go past the Marmorito residential area. After the initial straight downhill stretch, turn left onto the track you find halfway through the first bend. Take this track for about 3 km then cross the SP 10 and keep going on the country road that leads to Mondonio, a hamlet of Castelnuovo Don Bosco. Here you can visit the house where Saint Domenico Savio lived. From the hamlet, go up to Pino Torinese then turn immediately left on the path that takes you up into the wood and to the village of Ranello. The village is nestled in a dense wood surrounded by the paths on the Route of Don Bosco. Take the SP 33 until you reach the gateway to Albugnano where you turn to visit the splendid Vezzolano Canon House. This pleasant route takes you through woods and Nebbiolo vineyards, which in this little area alone are used to produce the prized Albugnano DOC red and rosé wines.
From here you will be back at the starting point in no time.
If you take this route during the last week of March, you will be able to enjoy the Golosaria in Monferrato event and sample the wine made by the 13 members of Albugnano 549. If instead you are cycling on the night of San Lorenzo, 10 August, the town of Albugnano will be celebrating with its Calici di Stelle event from 7 p.m. to midnight, offering wine tastings and samples of local products in Piazza Belvedere.