Nizza is a red DOCG wine produced in 18 municipalities in the province of Asti.  This denomination began with the Barbera d'Asti area specifically. The first Nizza DOCG wines went on the market in July 2016.
Nizza DOCG is produced in a geographical area defined by a temperate climate, with little wind and average rainfall of 700 mm a year. The area is perfect for growing the Barbera variety, with its superb grapes.
DOCG regulations define the required environmental and vineyard conditions in detail. With its intense ruby red colour, which turns garnet with age, Nizza DOCG, with its intense aroma and dry, full-bodied taste, has different classifications depending on maturity and variety.
Since 2010, on the second Sunday in April the Giro del Nizza ('tour of Nizza') is held, organised by the Nizza Monferrato regional winery, in collaboration with the local associations of producers and Slow Food, along with those of Piedmont and the Aosta Valley. At the starting point, at the Nizza Monferrato regional winery, everyone receives a map of the wineries along the route, a glass and a voucher to spend at one of the producers, of which there are usually just over twenty. This event in April is also aimed at cyclists, who can rent e-bikes from local associations like Mon Bike Tour in Nizza Monferrato and Langa Bike in Santo Stefano Belbo.
The route we are suggesting goes through all the 18 municipalities in the geographical production area for Nizza DOCG. It's almost entirely on tarmac roads with little traffic, often with scenic views, and on a few stretches of track that are safe for cycling all year round. Start in Nizza Monferrato, in front of the regional winery at no. 2 Via Crova. There's a car park only a few metres away, in Piazza Garibaldi. Leave the town along Strada Vecchia d'Asti and a little over 2 km from the town centre turn left.  Turn right at the crossroads with the SP 456 and turn left after about 500 m onto Strada Piazzaro, which will bring you to a fork. Go right onto Strada La Vecchia, that leads you round some bends to San Marzano Oliveto. Soon you spot the village of Moasca, with its imposing castle. Once you reach the SP 6, after a stretch of track turn off in the direction of Agliano Terme. You reach the village after about 3 km. After a visit to the tower of Agliano, with its nice view and the thermal springs Fons Salutis and Fonte San Rocco, head off along Strada Fornaci Stazione and through the lush vineyards to Castelnuovo Calcea. Leave the village on the SP 5, a pleasant small road leading to the town of Mombercelli. Here you find an interesting small museum of modern art, housed in the refurbished old prison. Carry on to Vinchio along a scenic road that looks over the Tiglione valley for a while, where you find another municipality where Nizza DOCG wine is made, Belveglio. This is also the hometown of Davide Lajolo, the writer to whom another route in this guide is dedicated. Leave it and go through the woods in the Val Sarmassa nature reserve, which skirts the municipalities of Vinchio and Vaglio Serra, each of them home to a famous association of wine producers. Once you've taken the road through the woods and the vineyards, you arrive in Cortiglione. Go up to Incisa Scapaccino, crossing the river Belbo and following minor roads and then the SP 46 through the Belbo valley, until you come to Castelnuovo Belbo. After about 1 km of pedalling, you reach Bruno, a small village of Celtic origins. The route carries on past the Bosco delle Sorti La Communa, a popular spot for walkers and mountain bikers, and brings you to Mombaruzzo, a medieval village noted for its delicious amaretti biscuits. Head off past the railway station, past Castelletto Molina (note the impressive castle) and past the tower of Castel Rocchero, home to a winery of the same name where wine from more than a hundred local producers is sold. From here, go to Castel Boglione and follow a small tarmac road through vineyards to Rocchetta Palafea, a village perched on the brow of a high hill, with a castle at its very top. Carry on to Calamandrana, another village where wine growing thrives. Leave Calamandrana and after about 5 km end your trip back where you started, in Nizza Monferrato.