Villa Oppi

Common questions

• Where is Villa Oppi? add remove
  Villa Oppi is at Alseno, in the province of Piacenza, on the SS9 Via Emilia, about halfway between Piacenza and Parma. The address is S.S. 9 Via Emilia 2524, 29010 Alseno. From Milan, take the A1 to the Fiorenzuola d'Arda exit and follow the SS9 for about 2 km; the entrance is on the right. From Bologna, leave the A1 at Fidenza and follow the SS9 for about 4.5 km; the entrance is on the left.
• Can I visit Villa Oppi and taste the wines? add remove
  Yes. The estate runs guided tastings inside the castle, led by Stefano Agazzi, who runs it, and asks you to book ahead through the form on its website. There are three formats. Experience is two wines with local cured meats, about 40 minutes. Luxury is three wines with cured meats, cheeses and bruschette, about an hour. Supreme is five wines with the same platter, about an hour and a half. The Luxury tasting can also be booked through Winalist. It takes place in the inner courtyard or the tasting room, both under cover, so it goes ahead in bad weather.
• What wines does Villa Oppi make? add remove
  Two groups. Around Piacenza, the estate makes Gutturnio Superiore, a red from Barbera and Bonarda, and a dry Malvasia. It also makes a Cabernet Sauvignon, a classic-method sparkling wine from Chardonnay and Pinot Nero, and four passito dessert wines. Partner wineries in other regions make its Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino, Amarone della Valpolicella and Chianti. They also make a Tuscan Cabernet-Merlot, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Primitivo and Nero d'Avola. Napoleon, a red made from Croatina, spends about three years in oak.
• What is special about the Villa Oppi passito wines? add remove
  They are made from bunches hung by hand in the cool rooms of the villa, where they dry slowly for about four months. There are four. Crociato is a white from Malvasia and Moscato. Fiordirosa is a pink wine from Malvasia Rosa. Bonarosa is a red from Croatina. Black to Black is a dark Merlot aged about four years in barrique. The estate suggests them with mature cheeses, chocolate and cakes.
• How old is Villa Oppi? add remove
  The estate says it began as a Roman post station on the Via Emilia about 2,000 years ago, serving food and wine made on the spot. The oldest wing of the villa dates from 1524, the year printed on its labels. In the early 1800s Maria Luigia of Austria, Duchess of Parma and Piacenza, bought it as a private home. The estate says it made the first Bordeaux-style blend grown entirely in Italy there in 1820. The two towers were added in a renovation in the early 1900s.