Virna

Winery

The village of Barolo is located in the heart of the Langhe, the most prestigious wine-making area in Italy’s Piedmont region.

​The Borgogno family lives and works right here in Barolo, managing their own “Virna” estate.

Nowadays, Virna and her sister Ivana have taken the reins of the estate wholly in hand, with Ivana looking after the administrative and marketing side of the business. In 2001, the estate was rebranded with the new “Virna” logo to reflect the major role played by women in the business. The estate comprises about 10 hectares in Barolo’s most prestigious areas; the Cannubi, Sarmas-sa and Preda vineyards are in Barolo proper, while the estate’s classic Barolo wine «Noi» comes instead from parcels in Novello, Monforte and La Morra townships.  Virna’s wines adhere for the most part to the traditional Langa method, with élevage in large oak casks for the Barolo «Noi» and in both large casks and tonneaux for the two Cannubi and Sarmassa crus. In addition to Barolo, the estate produces two Barbera d’Alba wines; one of these, the San Giovanni cru, comes from the Monforte township. The estate also makes Langhe Nebbiolo DOC, a Langhe rosso, a Langhe Arneis and a rosé wine.

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First woman in Italy whit a degree in enology

A descendant of one of the most famous Langhe families, Virna Borgogno is the first woman in Italy to complete a degree in oenology and oenological techniques. In 1988, she joined her father Lodovico in managing the cellar.

The Borgogno vineyards date from 1720, while the modern estate was founded in 1950 by Enrico Borgogno. Nowadays, Virna and her sister Ivana have taken the reins of the estate wholly in hand, with Ivana looking after the administrative and marketing side of the business. In 2001, the estate was rebranded with the new “Virna” logo to reflect the major role played by women in the business.

Production Philosophy

A SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION PHILOSOPHY

Virna Borgogno winery respects The Green Experience discipline in the exercise of sustainable and eco-friendly viticulture.

The Green Experience was born in the hills of Langhe, in the UNESCO World Heritage site. It is a method to preserve the biodiversity and natural resources of the soil, to protect the value of Piedmontese production methods, and to safeguard the Langhe, Roero and Monferrato viticultural environment.

Green Experience vintners care for their vineyards through innovative and eco-friendly methods such as the diffusion of pollinating insects, planting of herbaceous and floral essences, and elimination of chemical weeding in the vineyards

The 10 rules Green Experience vintners follow:

1. Eco-friendly and sustainable viticulture and production
2. Preservation of biodiversity and the natural environment
3. Aesthetic protection of the natural landscape and the human interaction with it
4. Respect for the soil through agronomic solutions
5. Elimination of chemical weeding in the vineyards
6. Sowing of herbal and floral plants in the vineyards
7. Disseminations of useful pollinating insects
8. Strategic placement of bird nests to aid incultivation
9. Respect and honesty towards consumers
10. Transparency of controls and external certification

ENERGY AUTONOMY AND LOW ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Energy autonomy: the power we produce comes from photovoltaic panels.
Environmentally viticulture: understanding the land.
Managing and channelling rainwater.
Moderate productions from well-balanced vines.
Eliminating the use of herbicides.
Agricultural use of rainwater for treatments.
Compensating CO2 emissions by maintaining the woodland we own.