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Asti monastery with organic vineyard hits the market

15 May 2024 By Sarah Neish

A 17th century monastery with commercial vineyards in Piedmont will be auctioned by Sotheby’s for a guide price of €3.95 million.

Bidding opens on 23 May for an Italian monastery estate, which includes 13 hectares of organically farmed vineyard.

According to the listing, the vineyard is capable of producing up to 40,000 bottles per year, and has a “state-of-the-art winery” built into the hillside. Additionally, a hidden tunnel leads to a cave where the estate’s wines are aged. In total, around 5,300 square feet of the property are dedicated to winery spaces.

The sale includes tractors and other field machinery to help farm the vineyards, which have been certified organic since 2019, and are home to five different grape varieties, including, presumably Nebbiolo, the flagship grape of the Piedmont region.

The vineyard is said to have been “significantly restructured” over a three-year period in order to optimise space and vine health, with wine production currently outsourced to GianLuca Colombo, who has his own organic and biodynamic wine estate in the Langhe DOC. Colombo has worked as a consultant winemaker for some of the Langhe’s top producers including Castello di Perno.

Included in the package is an impressive 30,000-strong collection of the estate’s ageing wines.

The property’s current owner is Ole Mikael Jensen, who acquired it in 2013 but now lives in Copenhagen. However, the estate’s former owners include the family of Nobel Prize-winning neurobiologist Rita Levi-Montalcini, said Ilaria Demartini of Italy Sotheby’s International Realty, who listed the property in April for €3.95 million (US$4.26 million).

A two-level infinity pool, restaurant and roof terrace accompany 10,000 square feet of living space, including 10 bedrooms, seven bathrooms, five kitchens and two laundry rooms.

The estate, known as Azienda Agricola Montefiorito, is located in Asti, a sub-region of Piedmont known for its sparkling wines made using the Moscato Bianco grape. Piedmont itself is world renowned for its Barolo and Barbaresco wines, made from Nebbiolo.

Earlier this month, the Consorzio dell’Asti e del Moscato d’Asti DOCG announced the appointment of its new president Stefano Ricagno, who is also the director of Piemontese sparkling wine producer Cuvage.

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