Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese: the labels from Tenuta Vallone
The Grignolino is a wine that defies every cliché about colour: it appears pale, almost transparent, with highlights ranging from soft pink to light ruby, yet on the palate it surprises with a firmly present tannin and a lively acidity. The name comes from the Piedmontese grignòle, the many pips (seeds) of this grape, precisely responsible for that unexpected tannic structure in a wine so light in appearance. On this page you'll find our selection of Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese DOC — 2 labels from 20,50 € to 22 € — together with a guide to understanding the grape variety, the differences between the two versions, the food pairings and how to serve it.
They are made by Tenuta Vallone, a small organic winery in Conzano, in the heart of the Monferrato, a UNESCO World Heritage site: a two-hectare en clos on marl and limestone soils, worked by hand from pruning to harvest. Two interpretations of the same grape variety — Origine, steel only, and Selezione, with a spell in wood — tell the same territorial identity from two different angles.
Grignolino at a glance
Our Grignolino labels
The Grignolino labels available on VaiGustando, both made by Tenuta Vallone in the Monferrato Casalese. Click on a wine for the full details and to buy.
Grignolino in the Monferrato: region and denomination
Grignolino is a grape almost exclusive to Piedmont, and to the province of Asti and the Monferrato in particular: outside this area it is rare to find it grown consistently. Our labels are born in the Monferrato Casalese, between the provinces of Asti and Alessandria, a landscape of vine-covered hills and tuff-stone farmhouses that UNESCO recognised as a World Heritage Site in 2014.
The reference denomination is Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese DOC, distinct from the better-known Grignolino d'Asti DOC: the same grape, but a different production area and regulations, with even lower yields in the Casalese. In Conzano, home to Tenuta Vallone, the grape variety grows on marl and limestone soils historically suited to Piedmontese viticulture, alongside Barbera, Nebbiolo and Freisa.
The Monferrato is not just wine: it is a land of white truffle, agnolotti del plin and bagna càuda, a country cooking that Grignolino has always accompanied as the house wine.
Origine or Selezione: Tenuta Vallone's two interpretations
Same vineyard, same single grape variety, but two different paths in the cellar: Tenuta Vallone offers its Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese in two versions that vividly convey the expressive range of this grape.
| Feature | Origine | Selezione |
|---|---|---|
| Ageing | 17 months in steel only | 12-13 months in steel + 10 months in oak (barrique and tonneau) |
| Vintage | 2021 | 2020 |
| Alcohol | 13,5% vol | 13% vol |
| Numbered bottles | 1.816 | 600 |
| Profile | Fresher and more direct, maximum fruit fragrance | Greater harmony and roundness, without losing typicity |
In both, the colour stays the typical bright, light ruby, almost transparent, while the nose is spicy with a bouquet of small red fruits. On the palate the shared trait is freshness: Origine stakes everything on tension and aromatic integrity, while Selezione adds the softness given by the brief spell in wood, without ever covering the tannic, savoury signature of the grape.
Our Piedmontese Grignolino producer
Behind the two labels there is a single winery, which finds in Grignolino one of its most distinctive interpretations:
- Tenuta Vallone (Conzano, Monferrato Casalese) — a certified organic estate (BioAgriCert), founded in the 1812 rural building of Count Pio Hieronymus Vidua. A two-hectare en clos worked by hand, with limited, numbered production: here Grignolino Origine and Selezione are born alongside Barbera d'Asti, Nebbiolo and Albarossa del Monferrato. Discover the winery →
Food pairings: what to eat with Grignolino
To understand what to drink Grignolino with, you have to look beyond the colour: it is a pale red, almost transparent, but on the palate it surprises with a firmly present tannin — born of the many pips, the grignòle from which it takes its name — underpinned by a lively, nervy acidity. The body, however, stays light and the alcohol moderate, so it doesn't stand up to heavy, long cooking: look instead for dishes where tannin and freshness work to cut through fat and cleanse the palate. This is why it is the natural ally of cured meats, fried food and savoury sauces, which it lightens bite after bite without ever covering them. Its peppery, spicy signature, with an undertone of red fruits and almond, pairs well with savoury and slightly spicy preparations. It is the classic aperitif and all-through-the-meal red, to drink young and serve slightly cool. The rule here is not power but vivacity: nimble, savoury dishes, never too weighty.
- Piedmontese starters: cured meats, vitello tonnato and raw beef
- Fritto misto and fried vegetables or fish
- Bagna càuda and vegetables with garlic and anchovies
- Light first courses: agnolotti and tajarin with butter
- Fresh and medium-aged cheeses, such as tomini and robiola
In the Monferrato Casalese, Grignolino is the house wine, tailored to the Piedmontese cuisine of starters. Its ideal ground is bagna càuda, the warm garlic-and-anchovy sauce in which to dip vegetables: few wines handle that intensity so well, but its tannin and acidity tame it. It goes just as well with vitello tonnato and with knife-cut raw beef, mainstays of the Piedmontese starter, and it naturally accompanies Piedmontese-style fritto misto, that riot of sweet and savoury morsels. At the table it carries on effortlessly with cured meats such as salame cotto del Monferrato, with tomini and with butter-dressed agnolotti.
In short: to drink young and serve slightly cool (14-16°C), it is the aperitif and starter red par excellence — and the Monferrato Casalese version, among the finest and most defined, remains its benchmark expression.
How to serve and store Grignolino
Serve Grignolino slightly cool, at 14-16 °C, in a not-too-wide glass: higher temperatures would weigh down its drinkability, which is instead its strong point. It is a wine that needs no aeration: it drinks well as soon as it is poured, as tradition dictates for an aperitif and all-through-the-meal red.
In the cellar, store it lying down, in the dark, at a constant temperature (12-14 °C), like any still wine. It is not a label made for long resting: its best moment comes within a few years of the harvest, when fruit and freshness are still at their peak.
Vintages and ageing: when to open it
Grignolino is by definition a wine to drink young: its hallmark is vivacity, not long evolution in the bottle. Even the two versions from Tenuta Vallone, though born of different paths in the cellar, remain at their best within a few years of the harvest.
- Within 2-3 years of the harvest — Origine, aged in steel only, is at its best when fruit and aromatic tension are sharpest: it is the more immediate of the two.
- Within 3-4 years — Selezione, thanks to the spell in wood, has a slightly more settled structure and can carry on a few months longer without losing its identity.
Beyond this window Grignolino tends to lose precisely what makes it unique: its acidic freshness and fruit fragrance. To keep them intact until the right moment, see how to serve and store.
Buying guide
- Everyday (20,50 €) — the Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese Origine: steel only, fresh and direct, perfect as an aperitif and all-through-the-meal red.
- With a little more (22 €) — the Selezione, with the brief spell in oak that adds harmony, in a more limited run (600 numbered bottles).
You'll find up-to-date prices and the buy button in the product cards above.
Other Piedmontese reds to discover
Discover the other Piedmontese reds in our catalogue: Nebbiolo and Barbera. Take a look too at the Veneto reds such as Cabernet, Pinot Nero and Amarone, or browse all our red wines.