New Perspectives for Winemaking Conference — Il Monastero in Sampeyre

Mountain wine examines its future

In the heart of the upper Varaita Valley, in the province of Cuneo, the town of Sampeyre hosts a day of in-depth discussion dedicated to the world of wine and the challenges climate change poses to viticulture. The conference "New Perspectives for Winemaking: Between Heroic Viticulture and Dealcoholization" is held at Il Monastero, a cultural center and laboratory housed in the former convent of the Villaretto hamlet, restored with support from the Piedmont Region.

A highly relevant topic

The event focuses on the transformations within the wine sector and new perspectives regarding innovation, sustainability, and climate change. The program weaves together two themes currently reshaping winemaking: on one hand, heroic viticulture, practiced on the steep slopes and high-altitude terraces that define the valley's hamlets; on the other, dealcoholization, the techniques used to produce low- or reduced-alcohol wines, a frontier addressing modern consumption patterns.

The conference is primarily aimed at industry professionals—winemakers, wineries, and technicians—but is open to curious enthusiasts and anyone interested in how wine is adapting to environmental challenges.

Il Monastero, a new cultural and gastronomic hub

The venue is no coincidence: Il Monastero in Villaretto is a cultural center and laboratory inaugurated in June 2025, born from the restoration of a large, three-story historic building using funds from the Piedmont Region's Rural Development Program. It is designed as a hub for activities and events, particularly those related to food and wine, contributing to the revitalization of the hamlet and the entire Varaita Valley. The Roccia and Villaretto areas are involved in projects concerning historic mountain viticulture, where vineyards still persist at high altitudes.

A valley with a strong identity

Sampeyre, in the province of Cuneo and the Piedmont region, is a municipality in the upper Varaita Valley known for its Occitan traditions, the famous Baìo festival, and a mountain gastronomy symbolized by its raviole. Promoting heroic viticulture and local wine culture—featuring grape varieties such as Chatus, Barbera, Quagliano, and Pelaverga typical of the Saluzzo area—is part of this ongoing effort to rediscover the territory. The conference concludes with a tasting of the wines presented during the sessions.