The Historic Coppo winery of Piedmont and their UNESCO underground wine cellars

It’s been almost 10 years since I’ve featured the wines of Coppo when I shared their 2013 Coppo La Rocca Gavi.  Wow!  That makes me sound old in the world of blogging.  When fellow wine writer, Jeff of Food Wine Click, presented the opportunity to taste some of the wines of Coppo again I was happy to jump on board.  I had the chance to try two Coppo wines I had yet to try their Monteriolo Chardonnay and Pomorolo Barbera.  Let’s chat a little about the winery first. 

The beginnings of Cantina Coppo 

The Coppo winery was initially established in 1892 and is considered one of the oldest wineries.  This is due to its recognition in 2012 by Unioncamere by as being a business that has had uninterrupted activity in the same sector for over 120 years.   

Coppo vineyards by Coppo winery

Piero Coppo was the original founder who had a passion for the wine industry and with his keen attention to detail he managed all stages of the winemaking process from beginning to end.  He married his wife, Clelia Pennone, whose family was a known wine producer, Pio Pennone, that had been producing and exporting wine for over 2 generations.  Piero’s mission was “to produce wines to express the local environment specificity” with “a constant commitment to uncompromising quality”.  Piero’s winery grew to about 128 acres with vineyards in Canelli, Gavi, Agliano Terme, Castelnuovo Calcea and the Langhe.  The focus was on grapes to include Barbera, Chardonnay, Moscato, Gavi and Nebbiolo. 

Canelli, the birthplace of Italian sparkling wine 

Upon Piero’s marriage Clelia, he joined Pio Pennone on their premises in Canelli where the company is still headquartered today.  Canelli is considered the birthplace of Italian sparkling wine.  In the late 19th century, Canelli was the location of the first Italian sparkling wine that was bottle fermented.  This is credited to Carlo Gancia, a pioneer that used Moscato grapes to produce these sparkling wines via the Champagne method.  He produced these wines in the underground cellars, or underground cathedrals, that are today recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The UNESCO recognized underground cellars of Coppo 

The tunnels that run underneath Canelli were originally excavated in the late 18th century.  They were dug out in the tufa by hand.  These tunnels, or underground cathedrals as they call them, were used for making and aging wine.   

Coppo underground cellars by Noemi Mengo

They run for a total of 16,400 feet and 130 feet deep and provide a consistent humidity and temperature level.  In 2014 they were recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and you can visit these tunnels today in Canelli.

Coppo underground cellars by Noemi Mengo

Coppo wines 

The 2022 Coppo Chardonnay Monteriolo Piemonte DOC has been produced since for 40 years since 1983.  It is made from 100% Chardonnay grapes.  These grapes are grown on marly, chalky soil at vineyards that sit about 2,100 feet above sea level.  The grapes macerate for 14 days and are aged for 8 months in French oak barriques are 50% new and 50% used barrels.   

This wine was straw colored with some goldish hues.  A slight toast with a touch of vanilla on the nose.  Medium in body with fresh acidity and ripe tropical fruit with a creaminess on the palate.  SRP $59 

I wasn't planning on doing any pairings this week since we are in our final week of the football season with my boys so to say I've had little time is an understatement.  I did make a chicken, broccoli and pasta dish that did end up pairing well together with this Chardonnay.  Secretly I prepared it in my instant pot as well.  This has become my best friend being short on time, but still wanting to eat a good meal.
 

The 2021 Coppo Pomorosso Nizza DOCG is Coppo’s leading Barbera that helped Coppo get worldwide recognition for it’s quality.  They have producting this wine, made from 100% Barbera, since 1984.  It wasn’t until 2014 when the Nizza DOCG was granted approval that it fell under this new designation.  Nizza is a small sub region within Monferrato. 

The wine is named after the red apple tree that grows at the top of the hill where the vineyards are located.  This wine spends 14 months aging in oak with an additional 6+ months in the bottle.  Coppo recommends that this wine will hit it’s peak with 5-10 years of ago.  Unfortunately, in order to share this wine with you I had to use my Coravin to pull some out, but I will revisit this bottle at a later time. 

The 2021 Coppo Pomorosso was deep ruby in color with purple highlights.  A rich nose of blackberry and black cherry with some spice and a hint of cocoa.  On the palate this wine is full-bodied with bright acidity.  Dark black plush fruits with plum and blackberries filling the palate.  spice with a touch of cocoa again along with a hint of oak on the elegant finish.  This wine was surprisingly 16.5 ABV, which I didn’t pick up at all.  SRP $69

The Coppo winery was acquired in 2021 by Gruppo Dosio that is led by Gianfranco Lanci, but the Coppo family still manages parts of the winery and is also part of the Board of Directions at Gruppo Dosio.  

Join the rest of my fellow wine writers as they sample an array of Coppo wines with some suggested pairings.

 • Camilla from Culinary Cam says "Let's Talk About Cortese and Barbera Grapes: Two Wines from the Historical Underground Wine Cellars of Coppo + Pairings"
• David from Cooking Chat shares "Pairings for Coppo Barbera and Moscato d'Asti "
• Payal from Keep the Peas shares "Coppo Winery 2023 Chardonnay 'Costebianche' x Vegetarian Punjabi Food"
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass shares "Two Piedmont classics: Nizza Barbera and Moscato d'Asti "
• Robin from Crushed Grape Chronicles reports on "Tunnels and Tufa - The Underground Cathedrals and Coppo Cellars"
• Terri at Our Good Life shares "Pairings with Nizza Barbera and Coppo Monteriolo Chardonnay"
• Martin at Enofylz Wine Blog shares "Historic Wines, Timeless Pairings: Coppo’s Nizza Barbera and Barolo with Wild Mushroom Risotto"
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator shares "From Coppo's UNESCO Cellars: Nizza and Gavi Paired with Shrimp Ceasar and Duck with Winter Squash Gratin"

• Lynn at Savor the Harvest shares "Chardonnay From One of the Oldest Family-Run Wineries in Italy - Coppo"
• Jeff at Food Wine Click! shares "Dinner with Coppo Wine Cellars Flagship 'Pomorosso' Nizza Barbera"

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*These wines were received as samples, but opinions are always my own.  I may receive commissions for any purchases made via links included this article in support of the operations of Vino Travels.