Boca
BOCA (DOC)
Boca wine is one of the rare gems of Piedmont's oenology, because its production has never been carried out on a large scale. Boca has a long history and has been known beyond its natural borders for centuries. We find countless pieces of evidence in the history of the Novara area, proving the reputation of this wine, among other things, there are repeated references to large deliveries of Boca wine for the Spanish army, which occupied the districts of Milan.
The unique character of the soil in the vineyards located in the hills of the Boca and Maggiora areas, not only does it provide an ideal environment for the old Nebbiolo variety, but also guarantees the right conditions for growth to two other strains typical of this hilly terrain, which are the perfect complement to the Nebbiolo strain. These are the varieties Bonarda Novarese and Vespolina, that appeared in this area only a few centuries ago.
Among the vine growers in Boca was the architect Alessandro Antonelli, creator of the Turin Mole Antonelliana. Antonelli improved his farming methods, introducing newer and better techniques, inter alia, the vine management system, consisting in spreading shrub shoots in a square, on four supports, known as "with majorino squares ".
The prestige of wine grew in the first millennium with the spread of the Christian religion, due to the fact that it is used during the liturgy. In the Novara area, vines were often cultivated by monks from various abbeys.
In the 18th century, a canon Gaetano Perrucconi, the wine steward of the Bishop of Novara, relocated production from several old farms to the Maggiora area, that belonged to him in Castello San Lorenzo. Today, the canon's descendants maintain the quality standards set by their ancestor, and the image of a priest, The Boca wine they produce on the label is the best guarantee of this quality.