((WR) There’s a date they’ll mark on the calendar in Nizza Monferrato, and it’s not the grape harvest. On June 22, 2026, the Nizza DOCG Consortium will officially be established by decree of the Ministry of Agriculture. It seems like a bureaucratic formality, one of those pieces of news that only raise eyebrows among industry insiders. Instead, it’s a significant milestone: after nearly twenty-five years, a producers’ association has come of age, taking charge of protecting the denomination and endowing itself with that power worth its weight in gold in wine jargon: erga omnes . In other words, the Consortium now speaks for everyone, even those who aren’t members.
Behind the acronym lies a story that deserves to be told, starting with the people. Stefano Chiarlo , confirmed as president, sums it up without rhetoric: it’s the dream of those who believed in it from day one. And the names of the producers who sit on the board—Bertolino, Chiappone, Bava, Coppo, Cossetti, and the cooperative wineries—describe a Monferrato that fosters community rather than competition. A rare thing in an often contentious Italian wine industry.
Geography helps explain why Barbera becomes something more here. We are in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Piedmont’s wine-growing landscapes, eighteen municipalities centered in Nizza Monferrato, where the grape variety, symbol of Piedmont’s popular culture, finds one of its most noble expressions. This is no coincidence. It is the fruit of a long journey: the subzone was recognized in 2000, the association was founded in 2002, the Barbera d’Asti DOCG was established in 2008, and then the turning point in 2014 with the creation of Nizza DOCG, the Riserva, and the Vigna designation.
« This achievement crowns the dream of an association founded almost twenty-five years ago, but with very deep roots and a strongly cohesive community of producers », declares President Stefano Chiarlo . « Our first thanks go to the institutions for their ongoing support, but our greatest thanks go to the producers: to those who have believed in the project since day one and to all those who have chosen to join us over the years. The Nizza DOCG Consortium represents a fundamental step in a journey of growth and ambition of which we are deeply proud. Our primary goal will be to preserve the spirit that has always distinguished the Nizza Producers Association: to be not just a body that protects the appellation, but a place for producers to meet and grow, and a tool for promoting the entire region and all its stakeholders. ».
The headquarters of the new Consortium will be in Nizza Monferrato , in via Gobetti 5. President Stefano Chiarlo (Michele Chiarlo) has been confirmed at the helm of the Consortium, supported by Vice Presidents Gianni Bertolino (Tenuta Olim Bauda) and Daniele Chiappone (Heir of Chiappone Armando). The Board of Directors is also composed of Francesca Bava (Bava), Gianmario Cerutti (Coppo), Clementina Cossetti (Cossetti Vini), Claudio Da Casto (Da Casto Duilio), Mauro Damerio (Damerio), Alessandro Durio (Durio Adriano), Bruno Fortunato (Tre Secoli Social Winery), Stefano Gagliardo (Tenute Garetto), Susanna Galandrino (La Gironda), Lorenzo Giordano (Vinchio Vaglio Social Winery), Gianluca Morino (Cascina Garitina) and Diego Rodella (Nizza Monferrato Social Winery).
Today, the numbers weigh heavily on the final wine. Ninety-seven member companies, one million bottles sold in 2025 , over one hundred and eighty labels, a turnover of around thirty million euros. And exports account for 55% of production, driven by the restaurant industry and sold in more than forty markets: Switzerland, Northern Europe, the United Kingdom, and North America.
There’s also a future written in the land. There remain approximately 720 hectares that can still be claimed as Nizza, a growth reserve that the Consortium looks to with a declared ambition: to reach four or five million bottles. Without, Chiarlo promises, losing its identity along the way. The goal, he says, remains one: to preserve and tell the world about the connection between wine, the land, and those who live there every day. For the second part, the story, Nizza has just signed the right player.