Castel del Lupo, in the heart of Oltrepograve; Pavese, dates back centuries - and includes the eighteenth century Palazzo Pegazzera. In 1974 three entrepreneurs took over this historic estate and began a regeneration process. Giovanni Doglio, whose father and grandfather were both Piemontese winemakers, has over 40 years experience managing wineries. Recently joined by his daughter Federica, he has worked tirelessly to develop the estate. They have purchased more vineyards (to cover 100ha at around 300m altitude), planted new vines and built a new cellar. The vineyards are now certified organic. The winerys main focus is high quality bottle-fermented sparkling wine, and much of the vineyard is planted with Pinot Noir for this purpose. However, these vines are also the source of fine still red wines.
Led by Giovanni Doglio since 1974, the team at Castel del Lupo is very keen to honour the long heritage of its estate which existed even before its inclusion on a map of the region in 1301. All of Castel del Lupos grapes are estate grown and the 100 hectare property is now fully certified organic to maintain the integrity of the environment, the ecosystem and soil fertility without resorting to artificial substances at any stage of the production processes.